Installing Floating Engineered Hardwood On Concrete

Watch as jack explains what s involved in floating installation of engineered hardwood flooring.

Installing floating engineered hardwood on concrete.

Installing a hardwood floor over a concrete slab. A floating engineered wood flooring installation on concrete can be an excellent choice if your subfloor is below grade. Installing engineered wood flooring is a great project for the diyer who desires the look of a professional wood floor with the strength and longevity offered by its sturdy design. Even if your home was built on a concrete slab you can still enjoy the beauty and charm of hardwood floors.

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 glue down method of engineered wood flooring installation is typically the most common and creates a highly stable floor. Installing engineered hardwood flooring over concrete too tight against a stationary object will not allow room for normal expansion and may cause a failure. The planks glue together to create a floor that floats moves freely as a unit.

Engineered flooring goes down over a thin foam sheet which provides cushioning and sound dampening. Follow these steps to install an engineered wood floor in your home. You need to leave a 5 16 inch gap between the flooring and the baseboard or wall around the perimeter of the room to allow the floor enough space to expand. Boards adhere well to the rough surface of the concrete subfloor and therefore lead to less gaps or planks lifting and buckling.

Engineered wood flooring offers the timeless look of hardwood but is perfect for basements and other areas where moisture can be an issue. Made from layers of real wood compressed together engineered hardwood floors are better able to handle changes in moisture and humidity than solid hardwood. Other products are better suited for a nail down installation where they are secured to a wood subfloor with nails or staples. Consult the product data sheet for instructions regarding specific trowel requirements.

Some engineered wood flooring products are designed for a glue down application when installing flooring over a concrete slab. Considering new hardwood floors. If you ve decided to install engineered hardwoods there are four possible installation methods depending on the subfloor. When working on a clean concrete subfloor the glue down method is often the go to choice.

It s also a great option if you choose to incorporate a radiant heat system don t forget the vapor retarder.