For if you don't, you will be dealing with mold growth. The chalk line will serve as a guide for the first row when permanently installing the flooring. I assed on to expand my kitchen. A floating floor is the best option when structural and subfloor imperfections are part of your floor selection equation. I just put flooring in a walkout basement on a concrete slab. You have two options. It's beautiful. Some was so thin ... Costco flooring for our lower level is good looking and was less expensive than the upstairs but we are very pleased with it. Watch out for wide grout lines...they will scooper the deal if they are too wide and too deep. The very edge of the large doorways was filled with strips of cork to allow expansion in our very hot climate. I also test the concrete before I put floors down for moisture content. Wow! House is in MN. Then over that I laid 3mm cork underlayment and floated engineered hardwood (. Floating Plywood As the least-expensive subflooring option, floating plywood's only barrier between the concrete and the plywood is plastic sheeting. I am a GC here in San Francisco and have done a bunch of garage conversions. It's by far the best thing I've done. Install a floating subfloor over concrete slab Because they interlock and sit directly on the slab, floating subfloor panels are ideal for concrete surfaces that are level and clear of obstructions. Will this work and any tips? If it is a garage, why not consider an acid-etch stain on the concrete? Look at the pics below to see what they used (corvette, pic w/cars, & tools). Then put another layer of 1/2" ply over top of the first layer, but at a 90 degree angle. 1. Vinyl plank is a floating floor which means you don’t ever actually attach it to the underlay. We’d be working from the lower end of the slope moving gradually up the slope row by row. You may need to level the cement flooring or add shims under a piece to create the correct height and alignment. Floating For floated wood subfloors installed on-grade and below-grade, be certain moisture control is taken into account. This will allow for the flooring pieces in the second row to be staggered from the flooring pieces of the first row. It is an engineered vinyl with cork and water resistant laid like laminate. Please sign in to your account to take advantage of your online discounts. So there is no question of moisture seeping in, just how you are going to deal with it. Consider in floor or radiant floor heating ... it is the best! Make sure you use treated lumber and install a vapor barrier. 3/4 plywood ( I prefer to use a schluter or dimple pad and ply instead of the treated marine grade glued to the floor due to potential chemical off gassing). The house was built on a concrete slab. Some people want to skip this step, but I say why? Glue down or floating floor for engineered wood over ground level slab. A subfloor is part of the frame of the structure. But it is thin and an easy subfloor to install. That was five years ago and never had a problem. Step by installing a floating subfloor wood floor business installing a floating subfloor extreme how to installing wood flooring over concrete installing a floating subfloor extreme how to. Remember throughout the installation, if you are working with a cut piece of flooring to place the cut side inward. This insures that as ground conditions change your floor will not. The entire crawl space was filled in with concrete about 50 years ago to preserve the footprint and ensure grandfathering of historic benefits. It worked extremely well until a flood this winter. We also were very happy using DriCore and then an engineered wood floor. additionally I depressurized the slab to insure there would be no vapor coming through. I want to install laminate over a concrete floor that is a garage conversion. Not all corners are exactly 90 degree angles and you may need to make alterations to your flooring pieces to accommodate the corners of the room. You are going through a lot of effort and expense, what's an extra step to get it right? Simply pry out the damaged piece and lay down its replacement. I prefer to glue mine in place, but it is not required. Solid hardwood would be a BIG mistake in that application. Now that you have prepared the cement floor and the subflooring for installation, you are ready to plan your installation layout and begin the install. DClostboy, if you're talking about your restaurant, even though you want solid wood, please consider high end vinyl wood slats. If you are installing a locking or floating floor not attached to the subfloor, just make sure that the subfloor is clean. I just didn't trust floating the floor directly on the Platon, and adding a subfloor increases flexibility in case you want to change the floor in the future. They love it and we want to do our own garage too eventually. How to Install Unfinished Hardwood Floor... How to Install Unfinished Hardwood Floors over a Subfloor. They are commonly used in retail stores, and would take endless miles of wear. Has anyone put solid hardwood over dricore? Love that look too. It's a floating floor on concrete. The foam core #1 insulates better than regular substrate, #2 is a moisture barrier if the seams are taped with a plastic tape and #3 imperfections in the concrete will protrude into the foam core, crushing the bottom, but leaving the top flat and level for a floating floor. If you are concerned about temperature, you may want to consider installing a radiant heat flooring system, which can eliminate any chill you may feel from the concrete slab. I would always use dri-core before laying any flooring , why not luxury vinyl plank flooring looks awesome you don't have to worry about moisture. Because it was an extension from the rest of the house, we put in radiant heat. In my basement I used Platon (dimpled membrane similar to Delta-FL) and then 7/16" OSB over that tapcon'ed to the concrete. We had just done an outdoor patio project so the glass windows and sliding doors were all that separated one room from the other so it really flows well and so simple and it looks beautiful! All information is provided "AS IS." problems contact webmaster@doityourself.com. You should also ensure that the subfloor is level to prevent the tiles from cracking. With a wood block and hammer, gently connect the second piece to the first by tapping it into place. One of the main reasons for installing a sleeper system subfloor is to deal with un-eveness of the concrete slab. It's best to place the underlayment over 3/4-inch-thick plywood fastened with screws at 12- to 16-inch intervals to help decrease deflection and add stability. Is generally affordable and quick. Every odd numbered row would require you to cut the first piece, and every even numbered row would require you to cut the first piece. Place the first piece of subflooring into the farthest corner of the floor with 2 sides flush to the surrounding walls. Hey guys. I have experience in hardwood floor sales and installation, and would never install a solid hardwood on a concrete slab. It is like trying to separate the plies in plywood. Follow the steps below to begin preparations for this process. For the flooring industry, that is ¼ inch in 10 feet or ⅛ inch in 6 feet. Hey guys question regarding laminate over concrete. Copyright© You are able to just lay it down and put our hardwood flooring over it. It's softer, quiet, easy to clean & nice looking. Cork flooring can do that but it would do a much better job if it had help from more cork underlay. Put down felt paper as a vapor barrier, then a layer of 1/2 inch dense foam. A slabless slab may sound far-fetched, but peeling back the layers, we can see that the assembly begins with a compacted base over undisturbed ground. I'm from Australia. On my last floor I started with the above and then layer a 10 mil poly and 1/4 inch cork with a floating bamboo floor. Lay as many of these sheets as you need on the concrete to make the first layer of subfloor. We decided to use recycled hardwood timbering the living areas. Minimum: use nominal 5/8” (19/32”, 15.1mm) CD Exposure 1 Plywood subfloor panels (CDX), 4' x 8' sheets. If your concrete subfloor was just poured, you’ll need to allow it to properly cure for a minimum of 60 days before your luxury vinyl flooring installation begins. 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Is there any hope in adding curb appeal to my Mansard style home has some thickness to it material and...