Installing Hardwood Laminate On Concrete

Experienced professionals pay close attention to managing moisture and minimizing wood floor expansion and contraction when preparing to install hardwood floors on concrete slabs.

Installing hardwood laminate on concrete.

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. Laminate is a budget friendly attractive alternative to hardwood flooring. For starters while you can consider solid hardwood for at and above grade installations only engineered flooring with its plywoodlike construction is suitable below. However many homeowners are disappointed to discover that solid wood flooring cannot be installed on a concrete slab.

To level a subfloor for installing laminate follow the directions above to remove high and low spots. As needed use a concrete grinder you may want to rent one to remove any coating and to slightly roughen the concrete surface so the adhesive will stick. While pulling up carpet laminate or any other flooring is the obvious first step existing flooring isn t the only thing that needs to be removed before you can install hardwood floors. If you are installing a locking or floating floor not attached to the subfloor just make sure that the subfloor is clean.

The laminate floor padding cost is 0 12 to 0 15 12 to 15 cents per square foot. Then nail the flooring planks with a standard flooring nailer see photo for details. Alternatively screw rows of treated 1x4s to the concrete 16 in. Laminate flooring is also fairly easy to install.

Installing laminate flooring on concrete steps. Laminate planks snap together and float above a subfloor which means tiny subfloor imperfections are okay although again a level subfloor will help prevent damage. Slide the first two rows into their final position and repeat steps 5 and 6 above using the same alternating plank technique to complete the process. Lay the 1x4s perpendicular to the direction you intend to install the floor planks.

Many types of flooring can be installed over a concrete sub floor. Padding can be used with most floating laminate floor installation. 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. The surface can t be slick heavily troweled or burnished.

Treated plywood to the concrete with concrete screws spaced every 16 in. If you ve got concrete stairs to cover the laminate must be glued down using high quality construction glue.