With dry concrete and the right subfloors and vapor retarders solid hardwood floors can be installed on slabs that are either on grade at ground level or above grade above ground level.
Can you float a hardwood floor over concrete.
Although it is not impossible to float a solid wood floor successfully generally speaking floating a hardwood floor is not a great idea.
It rests or floats on top held in place by the weight of the floor itself.
You ll want to install an underlayment on concrete floor in basement.
In new england a 3 4 hardwood floor installed directly over concrete will absorb moisture from the concrete slab and the boards will swell and cup.
The reason for this is that solid wood flooring is much more susceptible to movement than engineered flooring due to fluctuating moisture and humidity levels.
Step 1 prepare the room.
Moisture can pose problems for solid hardwood floors below ground level so engineered wood floors made of layers of wood glued together are the best choice there.
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.
So if you have a plywood sub floor the world is your oyster.
When we talk about a floating floor it means that the hardwood floor is not permanently attached to the subfloor.
Before you start installing you are going to want to prepare the room.
If you have a concrete then you have choices to make.
Floating wood flooring can provide you with a simple installation and a beautiful floor at the same time.
Here are the basics of how to install floating hardwood floors over concrete.
Both laminate and engineered hardwood floors can be floated.