Engineered Wood Flooring Concrete Subfloor

Moisture impacts the engineered hardwood flooring regardless of whether the subfloor is wood or concrete.

Engineered wood flooring concrete subfloor.

If you have a subfloor that consists of wood on top of concrete you ll need to test both floors. This is a popular subflooring option in the southern states and in areas where homes do not have basements. Lay 6 mil polyethylene sheeting over the concrete to minimize moisture migration from the concrete up into the wood flooring. When installing engineered hardwood floors over radiant heated subfloors turn the heat off for 24 hours before during and after installation.

But now half of the flooring he installs is engineered made of thin sheets of wood glued together like plywood. Boards adhere well to the rough surface of the concrete subfloor and therefore lead to less gaps or planks lifting and buckling. The concrete subfloor must be sufficiently strong to safely support the flooring furniture and people in the room. To learn about our products standards and warranties send us an email or call 1 800 832 9023 mon fri 8 a m.

Jeff hosking a flooring consultant for this old house first began laying floors 35 years ago back then 90 percent of his work was installing solid wood strips with nails. Excessive moisture permeating from floor slabs after installation can cause floor covering system failures such as debonding and deterioration of finish flooring and coating and microbial growth. The glue down method of engineered wood flooring installation is typically the most common and creates a highly stable floor. Use a moisture vapor retarder between the subflooring and the hardwood flooring to prevent moisture from leaching through the joists and subfloor to negatively affect the hardwood above.

This way of fitting is well suited to engineered wood flooring and is popular and quick. Other products are better suited for a nail down installation where they are secured to a wood subfloor with nails or staples. For this method the only parts that are glued are the tongue to the groove. Some engineered wood flooring products are designed for a glue down application when installing flooring over a concrete slab.

Floating installation for engineered wood flooring. Check for cracks and crumbling. Use a minimum 3 4 23 32 18 3 mm 4 x 8 subfloor panels. Treated plywood to the concrete with concrete screws spaced every 16 in.

For nail down wood subfloors installed on grade and below grade add a moisture control system below the subfloor material. Alternatively screw rows of treated 1x4s to the concrete 16 in.