Wood Floor over Concrete Slab

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I installed the wood flooring "floating" over an underlayment supplied with my Kahrs order. True, I did it on the second floor over the wood.

The cement has to be dry and relatively level.

Bill Fischer.

snipped-for-privacy@> Any suggestions on how to go about installing a hardwood floor over a > concrete slab?

NOFMA (National Organization of Flooring Manufacturers) web site includes several tech tips. TB

Real wood is not recommended over a slab on or below grade. It can be done by putting down sleepers and insulation and a vapor barrier but then the floor is raised about 2" or more.

Engineered hardwood or laminate can be used with the proper barrier. I used Mannington engineered wood with very good results.

I had a feeling real wood wouldn't work in this situation.

Yeah, I see boxes of cheap laminate in every big box around, HD, Cosco, etc. I was never tempted to gamble on it.

Thanks for the tips!

It's done all the time. Put down...

1. Vapor barrier
2. Sub floor. I used 3/4" T&G ply made for the purpose. Lay cross-wise to the way you want your floor, stagger joints, fasten *securely* to concrete.
3. Nail on your acclimatized floor boards. You'll need a nailer like Porta Nailer that has an accessory shoe that changes the angle of the cleat so it won't bottom out on the concrete. Alternative is to use 1

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You really can't put down full thickness hardwood flooring onto concrete without first building up a subfloor. Recommended thickness is 2 layers of