What do they do to install hardwood floors over a cement slab floor? We have a tri-level home and I would love to do the family room in the lower level. So, in reality it is as if it were in a basement. Is this possible and what has to be done to the floor before laying wood? Or should I be looking at some of the things like Pergo? The room can be damp at times despite a dehumidifier being used in the adjoining unfinished room.
Thanks
We installed Pergo over a concrete slab about 3 years ago. There is a bit of preparation involving leveling and then installing a vapor barrier. I'm sure you can find this on pergo.com .
We're still happy with the Pergo. It gets a lot of traffic although we put down a runner rug most of the time.
NB: Pergo is about 2 times as expensive as the "per sq ft" numbers indicate. You have to buy shoe molding, glue, spacers, thresholds, tools (missing from the kit), acetone, WhisperWalk foam, poly ethylene vapor barrier.
Good luck.
Autumn wrote:
NOFMA.org has a pdf on installing hardwood floors. It includes comments on concrete slabs. TB
Regular hardwood is not recommended without a lot of prep work like sleepers, insulation and vapor barriers. Consider using an engineered hardwood floor like
You have to use an engineered wood flooring over concrete, Basically the core is like plywood. You glue it down . you can use the same flooring in the rest house over a wood floor it is nailed or stapled. You might have to level any low spots. Pergo is a floating floor sits on a foam pad, snaps together. I don't think it matters what it goes over. IMO no comparison to wood . Most good flooring suppliers should be able to give you a more detailed description. Each manufacture has an installation guide.
installed engineered flooring (Bruce) directly over concrete pad. Looks perfect after 12 years.
Pergo looks like pergo, real wood looks like real wood.
Below grade personally I'd tile it. Tile that has been under water is a lot happier than wood of any kind that has been under water.
If you want a warm surface you can do radiant heat under the tile.
If you put down a Pressure treated, sub-floor first, you can install real hardwood floor in the basement.
J. Clarke wrote:
Should also have a vapor barrier and insulation between the sleepers.
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