OK OK I know this is not a hardwood forum but...

[tile mom]

Does anyone know where I can find out if you can put solid hardwood down over concrete floor. It is on grade, and has heating pipes running thru it that apparently no longer work. Can you put 3/4 inch wood down? Does it need to be 3 ply or 5 ply? what are the rules of thumb for this?
Thanks so much!

[mrjetskey]

They now make a 3/4" hardwood floor system that when you buy the hardwood,lengthwise small grooves are cut in back of the flooring,each piece is connected to the piece beside it by mettal clamps that you drive in the back of the board,the boards fir together like normal,instead of being glued down or nailed with a floor nailer the board is poped into the board that the edge has the clips,you install clips on back of each board you put down to meet the new board and the clip in the board already downis driven into the board you are laying,it is like a laminate type floor except it is held together by clips and is full floating,engineered hardwood is also a option .JMHO>Marvin

[Davestone]

Here's a good link, also.If you're gluing,You need a moisture test,first, and the number of plies doesn't matter,it's the thickness of the top layer, you want it so you can sand it down 3 times,these are usually the better laminates...http://www.woodfloordoctor.com/.

[jadnashua]

www.kahrs.com makes some that can be installed over concrete...they make some nice stuff. Been making wood floors for about 150-years.

[sdk]

Are you looking at a laminate or solid hardwoods? Laminates can often be glued, solid needs to be nailed to a wood subfloor.

Like tile you need to make sure the floor is suitable for wood- you need to test the moisture content. There are several ways to do this- a simple one is to duct tape a good size square of plastic to the concrete and check it several days later for moisture.

If you are looking at solid hardwoods you will need a vapor barrier (poly), ¾ “ ply can then be nailed to the concrete (not sure what this might do to the heating cables), felt on top of the ply and then nail your hardwood to the ply.

An alternative to the plywood is the use of sleepers- 1x2’s set in a tar like substance, I don’t recall what it’s called, but it would allow you to avoid nailing into the concrete and cables. The vapor barrier then goes over the sleepers and you nail the hardwood to the sleepers. I think the sleepers are set about a foot apart and run perpendicular to the hardwood.

We put in solid ¾” oak about 12 years ago (on slab) so I don’t remember a lot of the details, but wanted to let you know it’s possible. This site has a lot of good info and a forum: www. Hardwoodinstaller.com

[Mimibuick]

He beat me to what I was leading to. Need a 3/4" plywood sub.
^


I would not trust hardwood over cement. To many chances for water, floor shifting, etc ...

I am putting hardwood down in my bed/bath remodel and it has cement floors. So I am going to put 3/4" plywood with T&Groove. Then nail to that. Plywood does ot cost that much compared to how much time and newodd would cost to have to do it again. A lot of these glue to cement floors were made for big builders that are trying to save time and money, not make it last 50years.

Also don;t use OSB, at least that is what I have been told. Even 3/4".

IMO of course.

[jadnashua]

Many of the engineered floor systems are designed for floating installations. One of the more common underlayments for them is a foam or plastic sheet with the seams sealed with special tape. Often, adding sleepers and or another layer of plywood on a basement floor can be problematic...code issues with the consistency of the stairs will end up causing a trip hazard and grief from the inspector. Check out the Kahrs stuff - you can read their installation manuals on-line and see how they suggest it be done.

[organic_donna]

The best installation for concrete is engineered wood. It IS real wood. I used Mirage Maple with a cashmere finish and love the quality. Make sure that the concrete is tested using a moisture meter and the floor must also be tested for flatness. Your inside house humidity should be stable too. I used Acoustitec first for soundproofing but you can also use cork. We used Taylor glue. If your subfloor has too much moisture or is not flat you will get hollow spots. I would not use wood planks on concrete.
Donna
We just did two engineered floors.