Whether you re planning on renting out your home or looking to increase its value using concrete as a base is a great idea.
Why can t you put hardwood on concrete.
You don t want to try and glue it down either.
Since humidity causes natural wood to expand and contract your flooring won t be able to move.
Follow these steps with care to safely complete the installation yourself.
Proper planning will save money time and minimize mistakes.
With solid hardwood being ruled out because of the adverse effect it has with high moisture content a safer alternative is an engineered strip floor that can be glued to the concrete providing all concerns with moisture are addressed.
Experienced professionals pay close attention to managing moisture and minimizing wood floor expansion and contraction when preparing to install hardwood floors on concrete slabs.
Deciding factors before installing hardwood flooring over concrete.
Installing hardwood flooring over concrete.
Wear a mask and.
Float this is when the hardwood is clicked into each other or glued at joints but is not attached to the floor.
Even 1 8 inch of water is still enough to flood solid hardwood and ruin it.
Once you ve made up your mind about installing a hardwood floor over your concrete slab you need to put some thought into it.
Several prefinished flooring manufacturers offer an engineered 2 strip product.
Even if there is no.
You usually determine this with a meter that compares the relative humidity of the slab with the ambient humidity.
The concrete slab needs to be completely cured and moisture free before you can install hardwood on top.
The floor is secured via the base molding around the edges.
You can rent a concrete grinder from a rental store.
Installing a hardwood floor over a concrete slab.
This is the more common than you may think and this is moisture will seeping up through concrete in the form of vapor.
Hardwood floors are durable low maintenance and easy to clean.
Hardwood type there is no way to install standard 3 4 hardwood on concrete.
If you can t get a pry bar into the scored crevice start with a flat edged tool like a spackle knife to work the baseboard loose then try the pry bar.
1 nail down requires plywood sub flloor you can t nail into concrete last i checked 2.
Glue down engineered hardwoods can be glued note.
Solid hardwood can not be glued except for bamboo 3.
Even if your home was built on a concrete slab you can still enjoy the beauty and charm of hardwood floors.
When you install hardwood floors concrete is one of the best bases to work from there are only a few steps to take.
This can mean groundwater relentlessly pressing against foundation walls and forcing its way through cracks.
Before you prepare the concrete for hardwood flooring it must be dry.