You have two basement wood flooring options, solid hardwood or engineered. You would need to refer to the adhesives specifications on the relative humidity is good up to. Seems like I should do one or the other, but not both? Depending on the type of adhesive it might emit a strong odor. With the Easiklip installation method, you can walk on the floor immediately. I then laid two layers of heavy gauge plastic sheeting, overlapping all joints by 24 inches and duct taping them. Thanks for the great info! 2) With normal seasonal moisture changes (unless you live out in the Simpson desert), the thicker solid wood flooring may try to move - this could force splits if the glue holds, or open joints if it doesn't, and ugly bulges during the rainy season. Theoretically, it will be closer in volume to the top of the board through the finish, and the boards will expand and contract evenly, resulting in less cupping. I am doing engineered bamboo click jointed flooring. Required fields are marked *. When installing a floating floor, there is traditionally a foam layer installed between the subfloor and the engineered hardwood. Lay the section on the concrete slab and use moisture-resistant tape to tape all four sides to the floor. Is moisture over flooring of this type? Humidity sensors or moisture meters require drilling holes and inserting probes to measure the amount of water. A floating hardwood floor underlayment acts as a slight cushion that reduces noise and provides some insulation. Copyright 2022 Zonda Media, a Delaware corporation. We are debating whether to go with floating or nail/glue down. I have a question though. Glue-down or Floating? Comment from contributor A: Ideally, I'd glue the T&G, as is the practice with the laminate floating flooring. It can be caused by the amount of adhesive used in the construction of the materials and gluing the veneer to the top. Our contractor appeared to have started doing purely floating and after the first days work I came in to find various heavy objects (plaster bins, wood doors etc) placed along the 4 lines they had one that day. Its the only tried and true method for parquet floor installations. You should have no more than a 3/16 slope in a 10-foot radius or less than 1/8 inside a 6-foot radius. the manufacturer said to use either glue or underlayment. The instructions I have are for secret nailing to 38 mm joists, which would end up too high. A subfloor allows you to nail or screw into the wood instead of concrete. Flooring Basics: Floating vs. Glue-Down Wood Flooring. It simply means above the ground, at ground level or below ground, or the basement. You can certainly do an engineered product in the basement and it can glued or floated. I suggest laying out felt paper over the concrete, sealing the joints with an asphalt adhesive and then laying the wood floor over as though you were installing a floating floor. It does not emit harmful chemicals like formaldehyde or other toxic fumes found in some brands of engineered hardwood floors. We have a manufactured home in AZ and do not cool it in the summer; so the flooring needs to hold up to pretty high temperatures. I had no idea that floating hardwood floors could be installed above, below, or on a grade. The underlayment serves a few purposes. Ok My back ground is intense and I have been installing glue down planks since 1976 by Brucevillage plank etc. The engineered bamboo Im installing suggest either a floating installation or a glued down installation. you suggest or go tile. We apologise for the delay. Thanks for the great video. The cost would be greater for the adhesive application. I want to glue down the replacement laminate (instead of floating it) for the exact reason you pointed out in your article: it definitely makes it feel and sound Much more like hardwood flooring. They can add up to two inches in a basement that may already have a low ceiling. I have about 1500 sf of engineered flooring glued down to the slab. Check out this video as Bob Villa watches some pros install solid hardwood to a concrete floor at grade. Youll want to install an underlayment on concrete floor in basement. Mike, Just watched your video. Whether its fingerboards, herringbone, or any other type of parquet flooring, glue-down is a great option for installation. I then put an oil preservative on the deck surface.
I am confused. The OSB is much more stable than plywood, the styrofoam is vapor resistant, also. This leads us to another significant consideration for laying hardwood floor in basement over concrete. You could glue the kitchen and float the rest of the house. Job Opportunities and Woodworking Services, Dust Collection, Safety and Plant Operation, Adhesive Issues with Solid Wood Edgebanding, Humidity and Raised Glue Lines in Furniture, Long-Term Performance of Cyanoacrylate Adhesive Bonds. Leave it for 24 to 48 hours. Each board is inch solid white oak. Click here to learn about using a glue gun with parquet floors. Easiklip is the only manufacturer who will still honor the warranty if properly installed below grade. Q: What is the best way to install a wood floor over a concrete slab? We had engineered bamboo flooring installed 8 months ago. Good information, but need more advice. 1) Will always have some minor crook (American "bowed" type crook, not the Aussie version), which you will need to force straight as you glue - this could prove very difficult and time consuming. The adhesives that CFS sells for hardwood flooring, both solid and engineered, are designed to allow expansion and contraction.
Please submit your request below and our staff will send you a quote asap! A subfloor is the floor surface directly under the hardwood floor. Wood needs to move as the humidity increases and decreases throughout the year. And finished basements increase the values even more. Then a thin veneer of hardwood is glued to the surface to create that authentic hardwood look. I then duct taped those seams. Thank you for your support. There are three ways to lay a floor over concrete. Even old slabs will continuously wick moisture up from the ground. You get a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee so that you can shop with confidence. This helps us provide more great blog content. I would strongly advise against gluing 3/4" boards directly to the concrete. Yup I have 9.5 fingers because I remove that guard fro a Rockwell 10 drop say in 1978! But what if youre set on having a solid hardwood floor in the basement? If the wood cant expand sideways, it will twist warp or cup as it absorbs moisture. You can read more about the Vecturo here: https://www.cityfloorsupply.com/?page=item%20detail&itemcode=FT563007, You can also check out our video about the Vecturo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqYLnPDzups. A lot of the times it will sound hollow and the feel underfoot spongy. Floating floors also work over just about any subfloor. Took me a while to realize that what had happened was moisture had easily penetrated the bottoms of the boards from the always damp earth below, because there was no finish on them, while the tops had some resistance due to the oil finish. When installing hardwood flooring on basement, the concrete must be flat so the tongue and grooves of the hardwood meet and connect. #2 I saw that you used tape only the end d of the boards.. why not across the board to keeps them from spreading. Let them sit at least 4-5 days to absorb the ambient humidity and temperature. My husband forgot to put them in before gluing down in the master bedroom. Proper planning will save money, time and minimize mistakes. I am confused. It will extend up the wall for about 2 to 3 inches, creating a bowl where your wood floor stays dry and protected. Without the moisture barrier, the floor will first swell until it is pressed hard up against the sidewalls. One precaution is to let the cement dry thoroughly before you lay the floor. Floating floors should not have spaces appearing. Thank you. Is there another solution to the problem. Should I do the glue method? Well tell you who it is in a moment. Some products can be installed over a pad. Before installing any wood floor over concrete, youll need a moisture barrier. This is how I did it. Most hardwood flooring companies wont honor the warranty if you install their flooring in the basement. 2. I am planning to install bamboo flooring because my son has allergies to dust. I have different views from friends, some say use glue others say use underlayment. we use 2 blue tape to hole the boards together in their side width as they will separate when walked on. Generally, Hardwood flooring comes in different style: floating type and glue type. Otherwise, youll need to level it. Concrete is very porous like a sponge. You may not need to build a plywood subfloor on top of the concrete slab, depending on the floor system you choose.
Finally I laid my pre-finished oak hardwood floor on the OSB using the standard method of a pneumatic floor stapler setting a staple every 6 inches. I want to remove the carpeting in the 2 bedrooms and L-shaped living room and replace the peel-and-stick tiles in the kitchen and bathroom.
Is this occurring across the whole floor? Next Post . b. Thanks for the helpful tips. Place at least 6 inches of gravel or crushed stone on the ground, then install a 6-mil polyethylene vapor barrier. This system is designed so that the flooring will lock into itself, and thus negate the need for any sort of fastener or adhesive. Floating floors arent a catch-all solution to installing floors. Typically, it is sheets of plastic laid on the slab and taped at the seams with waterproof tape. Heres a good rule of thumb. This time we were told that under the cabinets and the island there is no flooring at all, because it would be waste of money. We would not recommend using screws from under the house as a remedy. They allow the wood board to expand and contract but they do not grow or shrink nearly as much as they would with a floating or nail down installation. Underlayments can combine water barrier protection and noise reduction. Ok I have two points for you to consider and answer for me.
Even though concrete was used to build Hoover Dam, it doesnt qualify as a "waterproof" material. 2) They are relatively stable with seasonal moisture changes - this means the laminated floor should stay quite flat over a period of years. Also remove g carpet throughout the house and out to g the wood down throughout The Bostik adhesives we carry do not require a vapor barrier as they can be their own with the proper notched trowel. It could have been somewhat, if not completely, prevented by pre-finishing the bottoms of the boards. This is how much your real solid hardwood floor will cost: We're sorry, freight costs to , () require a manual quotation. Will a glue down floor be water proof or have a possibility to curl at the edges.
Failure to do so can result in an improper installation. Most subfloors over concrete use exterior grade plywood or OSB (Oriented Strand Board). Depends on the type of adhesive. Howard Brickman is the owner of Brickman Flooring Co., which sells, installs, and finishes wood floors. There are more sophisticated methods to measure the water content. On top of the plastic I laid 1/2" X 4 X 8 sheets of dense styrofoam insulation. Water can quickly pass through it causing moisture problems, especially below grade. Make sure that this vapor barrier is not destroyed when the concrete is poured. Can I glue down a laminate if it comes with the thin foam backing preattached? This requires a heavy hammer drill and a bit the same size as your nail or screw. Solid wood floors: Sorry for all the questions, but it can be difficult to determine the causes without actually seeing the floor itself. wood flooring sell faster, and for more money than properties without wood floors, DIY hardwood installation with costs, timeline and list of materials, moisture barrier turns your moisture barrier bowl into a sieve allowing excess moisture to wick into the wood, hardwood floating floor in North America that merely clips together, Replacing Hardwood Floor vs. Hardwood Floor Refinishing, Prefinished Hardwood Floors vs. We also supply residential and commercial construction projects in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia. I would follow those instructions. Easiklip is a floating floor, you just need an underlayment on concrete floor in basement. Thanks for the very informative article and video. Hello, Thanks for your question. There are many styles with varied specifications. If you are gluing down a floor to a concrete subfloor it will sound and feel as if solid wood has been installed. Wood floors over concrete: Solid-wood strip or plank flooring must have an adequate wood substrate for secure nailing over concrete. Easiklip is perfect for the DIYer who wants the beauty of hardwood without the hassle of glue or nails. In addition, individual boards will cup more than normal due to moisture absorption, mainly from only one side of the board--the side against the concrete. Click here to learn more about recording moisture in a hardwood floor. During the curing process, there is excess moisture still evaporating from the concrete that can ruin the floor if you install it too early. Besides hardwoods durability, low maintenance, and is easy to clean, there are three immediate benefits: Beauty Concrete is ugly. The manufacturers installation instructions should be followed when in doubt.
We have floating engineered hardwood floor installed in our kitchen/living room area. Thinking aboutinstalling an engineered hardwood floor? Note that in the video they also use glue, which is our next method. Nothing is going to prevent wood from absorbing moisture and subsequently expanding.
