Floorboards on Concrete

[Adrian Rees MW1LCR]

Hi My other half wants to install Floorboards in our living room. At the moment we have a Concrete Floor.

Can you install floorboards on top of Concrete, by using battens ? If so what are the suggested Batton sizes ?

Thanks

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

2x2 should be fine. If you do go down this avenue,test the floor for any pipes that might have been laid in the concrete? unless you know for certain no pipes where laid.

[Phil Anthropist]

Assuming you mean traditional floor boards, and not laminate flooring, floorboards can be 6 inches wide and 1 inch deep. So if you lay them on 2 by

2 battens you will be raising the floor by 3 inches. How will you manage the 3 inch height difference between the living room floor and other areas that open into the living room? Any doors that open into the living room will need 3 inches taken off, or be re-hung so that they open out from the living room. Then there's whether to leave the battens loose (which will allow movement of the battens and boarded floor) or screw them to the concrete (which is very difficult without a suitable drill and drill bits). My personal answer to your question has to be no - this isn't something I would do in my house. If I really wanted floorboards I would have the concrete excavated and a new floor installed.

[Tx2]

why can't something thinner be used?

[Flying Scotsman]

I completely agree with this. I once made the mistake of buying a flat that essentially had the type of "floating floor" you are proposing i.e. chipboard floorboards nailed onto 2x2 battens, with the battens sitting unfastened on a concrete floor. Everything was OK for about 6 months, and then the squeaking started!! The problem with these "floating floors" is that the movement in them eventually causes the boards to work a bit loose from the battens and this is all it takes for some extremely annoying squeaks to be produced in the floor.

A concrete floor may be a bit colder, but it's a damn site quieter!