How To Install A Wood Floor On A Concrete Slab

Grind off any high spots and fill any low spots.

How to install a wood floor on a concrete slab.

How to install a floating wood plank floor. You simply nail the boards with a flooring nailer. Vapor retarder with solid hardwood floors a proper vapor retarder must be installed on top of the slab to make sure normal slab moisture does not reach the finished floor. The concrete slab needs to be in the right condition before installing flooring.

Flat clean slab the slab must be flat with a trowel finish free of grease oil stains and dust. It will extend up the wall for about 2 to 3 inches creating a bowl where your wood floor stays dry and protected. Typically it is sheets of plastic laid on the slab and taped at the seams with waterproof tape. Materials include a minimum of 3 4 inch cd exposure 1 plywood subfloor panels 4 foot by 8 foot sheets.

Installing hardwood flooring over concrete. Wood planks to the plywood. Follow these steps to install an engineered wood floor in your home. Cut plywood panels by 2 foot by 8 foot or 4 foot by 4 foot sections.

Hardwood floors are durable low maintenance and easy to clean. Apply an adhesive approved for plywood installation and recommended by the plywood manufacturer. Read manufacturer s directions before installation to maintain warranty coverage. Plywood to the concrete.

Use a vapor retarder. You don t want to try and glue it down either. Installing hardwood flooring on a plywood covered slab is identical to installing it on a wood subfloor. Before installing any wood floor over concrete you ll need a moisture barrier.

This will result in buckling. Since humidity causes natural wood to expand and contract your flooring won t be able to move. Score the back of the panels half of the thickness on a 12 inch by 12 inch grid. It s best to use shorter cleats than you would for a wood floor to ensure they sink in all the way.

If there are any high or low spots they can be ground away to prepare the surface and make sure that everything is level. Hardwood type there is no way to install standard 3 4 hardwood on concrete. Wood floor over concrete details lay a plastic moisture barrier and then screw 3 4 in.