Installing Prefinished Hardwood Flooring On Concrete

Laying a solid hardwood strip floor is easier and faster if you choose a prefinished product to avoid the extra work of sanding staining and finishing.

Installing prefinished hardwood flooring on concrete.

Engineered wood flooring is a prefinished tongue and groove flooring that has alternating wood grain laminations much like plywood but with a 1 8 in. Manufacturers recommend installing hardwood flooring perpendicular to or across the floor joists for maximum stability and reinforcement. Includes planning equipment and material acquisition area preparation and protection setup and cleanup. Installing engineered hardwood flooring over concrete too tight against a stationary object will not allow room for normal expansion and may cause a failure.

Follow these steps with care to safely complete the installation yourself. Install underlayment on clean level subfloor. When you install hardwood floors concrete is one of the best bases to work from there are only a few steps to take. The fact that your home is built on a concrete slabs does not preclude installing hardwood floors but several considerations apply not least of which is subfloor preparation.

Read manufacturer s directions before installation to maintain warranty coverage. With the help of a professional tool rental and my tips you too can install like a pro. See below for a shopping list and tools. Cull and blend flooring.

Installing hardwood flooring over concrete. Prefinished hardwood flooring installation labor basic basic labor to install prefinished hardwood flooring with favorable site conditions. Hardwood floors are durable low maintenance and easy to clean. This old house general contractor tom silva shows how to install a beautiful wood floor in just less than one day.

Whether you re planning on renting out your home or looking to increase its value using concrete as a base is a great idea. The factory finish is very durable but it can be sanded if it ever needs refinishing. Installing a hardwood floor over a concrete slab even if your home was built on a concrete slab you can still enjoy the beauty and charm of hardwood floors. For starters while you can consider solid hardwood for at and above grade installations only engineered flooring with its plywoodlike construction is suitable below.

Consult the product data sheet for instructions regarding specific trowel requirements. But typically flooring installed parallel to a room s longest dimension is more attractive than when installed across the floor s shorter width. Experienced professionals pay close attention to managing moisture and minimizing wood floor expansion and contraction when preparing to install hardwood floors on concrete slabs.