Installing Engineered Wood Floor Over Concrete Slab

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.

Installing engineered wood floor over concrete slab.

Check the manufacturer s recommendations but in most cases it s a minimum of three days with no maximum. Then the engineered wood planks can be laid into the adhesive and locked together at their tongue and groove joints. Check the drying time for your. How to install glue down engineered wood flooring on concrete slab preparation.

Installing a hardwood floor over a concrete slab. Experienced professionals pay close attention to managing moisture and minimizing wood floor expansion and contraction when preparing to install hardwood floors on concrete slabs. The adhesive manufacturer should have instructions regarding specific trowel requirements. Nail down the first row for your first row face the tongue toward the center of the room pre drilling and nailing with finishing nails about 1 inch in from the wall.

Installing a nail down engineered hardwood floor step 1. Next check the boards for warpage or defects and then remove any bad ones. Using a v notched trowel spread adhesive over a section of the floor. Before applying adhesives you must fill in any voids or deflections in the slab with a cementitious.

Treated plywood to the concrete with concrete screws spaced every 16 in. Installing hardwood flooring over concrete step 1. Lay 6 mil polyethylene sheeting over the concrete to minimize moisture migration from the concrete up into the wood flooring. Alternatively screw rows of treated 1x4s to the concrete 16 in.

A glue down installation requires premium wood adhesives to be properly troweled over the concrete slab. Carefully score the top of. Gluing works well when you are installing engineered hardwood over a concrete subfloor but be sure you clearly understand the manufacturer s application instructions before you glue that floor. Pre drilling saves the wood from cracking and makes for an easier job.

Your very first step before installing engineered hardwood floors over concrete is to let the boards acclimate to the room where they re going to be installed. Slab preparation is critical for glue down and includes sanding scraping leveling and filling low. You can rent a. To save money try to reuse your baseboards a fresh coat can give them a new look.

Plan to nail down the engineered hardwood flooring when you have a wood subfloor. For starters while you can consider solid hardwood for at and above grade installations only engineered flooring with its plywoodlike construction is suitable below grade. If the concrete has been painted you will need to remove it to guarantee adhesive will stick. Use a hammer and tapping block to make sure pieces fit.