Can You Put Wood Floors On Concrete Slab

Installing hardwood flooring over concrete.

Can you put wood floors on concrete slab. Fortunately even if your home was built on a concrete slab you can still choose to put in new hardwood flooring. If you love solid wood floors and your home rests on a concrete slab you re not out of luck. Before you make any decision on flooring the first thing you need to do is contact an experienced professional. Homes built on concrete slabs are good candidates for solid wood flooring provided that the slab does not wick up too much moisture.

Most flooring manufacturers say you should not install hardwood over concrete if the tests show the moisture emission rate is over 3 pounds. Hardwood type there is no way to install standard 3 4 hardwood on concrete. The fact that your home is built on a concrete slabs does not preclude installing hardwood floors but several considerations apply not least of which is subfloor preparation. The reason why is because there are many tricky things you ll need to consider.

Installing a hardwood floor over a concrete slab even if your home was built on a concrete slab you can still enjoy the beauty and charm of hardwood floors. Your concrete floor or slab must be flat when installing a basement hardwood floor the concrete must be flat so the tongue and grooves of the hardwood meet and connect. Wood planks to the plywood. Plywood to the concrete.

If you are planning on installing any type of glue down hardwood floor product you must see the entire concrete surface and make sure that it is flat within 3 16 in a 10 foot radius or 1 8 within a 6 foot radius. Installing hardwood on concrete is not a do it yourself project. You can install hardwood floors on a concrete slab. Installing hardwood floors over concrete slab.

When installing a hardwood floor on a slab it s necessary to carefully manage moisture levels and minimize issues from expanding and contracting. Experienced professionals pay close attention to managing moisture and minimizing wood floor expansion and contraction when preparing to install hardwood floors on concrete slabs. Lay a plastic moisture barrier and then screw 3 4 in. The two most important aspects of hardwood over concrete are expansion and moisture control.

The way you do this is to take a 6 or 10 foot straight edge and place it in various areas on the subfloor. But it s considerably more difficult to install a 3 4 in. Using a professional installer will ensure that the job is done correctly. Read manufacturer s directions before installation to maintain warranty coverage.

Wood floor over concrete than over a wood subfloor. Some of these reasons are. You don t want to try and glue it down either. Humid conditions such as those found in basements eventually.