Floating Engineered Floor On Concrete

Floating vs glued down engineered wood flooring.

Floating engineered floor on concrete.

For one there s less insulation. You need to leave a 5 16 inch gap between the flooring and the baseboard or wall around the perimeter of the room to allow the floor enough space to expand. If you are installing a locking or floating floor not attached to the subfloor just make sure that the subfloor is clean. Installing a floating engineered hardwood floor works well at any grade level and over most types of subfloor surfaces.

Glued down means using a bonding agent adhesive or glue which is put directly onto the subfloor before laying any of your engineered wood flooring. If your subfloor is concrete cover it with a wood or engineered wood subfloor first. Instead the engineered wood planks are joined together with interlocking joints creating a single continuous layer that floats over the subfloor. How to install a base for a concrete floor.

A floating engineered wood flooring installation on concrete can be an excellent choice if your subfloor is below grade. The surface can t be slick heavily troweled or burnished. Floating engineered wood flooring problems mainly come from moisture and not taking the proper steps to ensure the wood is protected from underneath the main drawback of using a floating floor installation for the engineered wood is the initial extra step to secure the boards. Also the possibility of dampness however small is greater when there are fewer membranes between your concrete foundation and your floating floor.

Laying down your floating flooring directly onto concrete is a no no. Use a quality cleaner like zep professional concrete and masonry floor cleaner 27 per gallon. 500 750 square feet of coverage. The planks glue together to create a floor that floats moves freely as a unit.

Engineered flooring goes down over a thin foam sheet which provides cushioning and sound dampening. For the floor adhesive to properly stick the floor must be clean. Follow these steps to install an engineered wood floor in your home. Some engineered wood flooring products are designed for a glue down application when installing flooring over a concrete slab.

This article however focuses only on the glue down application. Using a glue down floor is an option in above grade installation only since installation below grade requires a plastic barrier on top of the concrete. As an installation method glued down is most suited for either concrete or wood subfloors. Nail down and floating floor installations will be covered in parts 2 and 3 of this article series.

Installing engineered wood flooring is a great project for the diyer who desires the look of a professional wood floor with the strength and longevity offered by its sturdy design.