More SOS Q's on Wood Floors over Concrete...

[hazen]

Hello Folks...

I am not trying to beat a dead horse here. I have read over the recent thread on wood over concrete. Here's the situation...

My house is 15 years old. Concrete slab about 18 inches above ground.

The builders I have spoken with here in my area (southeast Ga.) have told me that the moisture should not be a factor on a slab this old. One even said, glue the wood directly on the concrete.

I want to put down heart pine. Putting down 3/4" ply subfloor then

3/4" pine sounds like the best solution but it raises the floor up 1.5 inches. This does change things a bit, especially in the kitchen for example regarding the cabinets and kickplate area under the cabinets - narrowing the recessed kickplate base of the cabinets.

Is raising the floor 1.5 inches really that big of a deal?

So...

1. Your thoughts regarding 15 year slab and wood flooring...hear are the options...

option 1: Underlayment, 3/4 ply subfloor (liquid nailed? or tapkon? to concrete), 3/4 pine boards: the 1.5 inch rise is not the big a deal

option 2: 3/4 inch pine planks liquid nailed directly to concrete slab (I could treat the underside of the planks by applying Smith's CPES (a clear penetrating epoxy used on wood in boat building to prevent rot) on the underside of the boards if any of you are familiar with it.

Thanks in advance

Hazen

[borgunit]

You should be able to just lay a barrier on the concrete (like felt) and then float the floor on it. If floating is not an option then I would go with a barrier, your plywood and then the floor. I am not sure if securing the wood to the concrete is a great idea. Concrete will expand a little differently than the wood and may cause issues with the fastening system you use.

[JimL]

3/4 inch?

Absolutely ridiculous! Not even close to necessary. Put a felt barrier and float the floor or in the most extreme case of rough finish, use 1/4 to 3/8 underlayment.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I think it will be over time. That is too large a difference from other roms unless you do those also.

I'm not, but it does not seem to be a very good solution.

I'd still go with an engineered wood floating floor, about 3/8" think. Avoids a lot of potential problems.

[HeyBub]

Observations from a non-expert:

If you attach the wood directly to the concrete, the wood will buckle. Wood expands and contracts mostly according to the moisture content - concrete with temperature. That's why manufactured wood floors tell you to not butt the sucker up against the wall. The floor in a large room might expand 1/2" in all directions.

3/4" Pine? Why so thick? You'll never see 99% of it. How about 3/8" or 1/4"?