How To Install Engineered Wood Floors On Concrete Slab

If you love solid wood floors and your home rests on a concrete slab you re not out of luck.

How to install engineered wood floors on concrete slab.

The option with maximum flexibility. Installing a hardwood floor over a concrete slab. Use these step by step instructions to install engineered hardwood floors in your home. Another method is to install a floating plywood subfloor consisting of two layers of 3 8 1 2 or 5 8 inch plywood attached together with short fasteners that won t penetrate the concrete.

Wood planks to the plywood. Next check the boards for warpage or defects and then remove any bad ones. Check the manufacturer s recommendations but in most cases it s a minimum of three days with no maximum. Typically it is sheets of plastic laid on the slab and taped at the seams with waterproof tape.

Plywood to the concrete. Installing hardwood floors over concrete slab before you make any decision on flooring the first thing you need to do is contact an experienced professional. How to install a base for a concrete floor. Follow the flooring manufacturer s guidelines for best practices on securing nailing or stapling the engineered wood to the subfloor tighten using a mallet and wood tapping blocks.

Install the baseboard and trim products last. How to prepare a subfloor for terrazzo tile. Before installing any wood floor over concrete you ll need a moisture barrier. While some products are designed for glue down application as is often used when installing flooring over a concrete slab this is typically a job for a contractor.

Watch this video to see how easy it is. Installing hardwood on concrete is not a do it yourself project. Experienced professionals pay close attention to managing moisture and minimizing wood floor expansion and contraction when preparing to install hardwood floors on concrete slabs. You can nail a plywood subfloor to the concrete with powder actuated fasteners but that method isn t recommended for floors with radiant heating elements.

Your very first step before installing engineered hardwood floors over concrete is to let the boards acclimate to the room where they re going to be installed. Follow these step by step instructions to prepare a wood subfloor. Wood floor over concrete details lay a plastic moisture barrier and then screw 3 4 in. It will extend up the wall for about 2 to 3 inches creating a bowl where your wood floor stays dry and protected.