I would like to put hardwood flooring in parts of my condo. The sub-floor is concrete with parking / storage below. I have worked with wood sub-floors before, but never the concrete / wood combo. I am looking for any advice on installation (if even possible). We can’t run 2x material underneath due to exterier door issues. I am also suspicious of “no tools required” snap laminate flooring.
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If you absolutely must use solid wood, you can 'float' a subfloor to nail the wood to by doing the following: over a vapor barier, cover the floor in one layer of 1/2" plywood(shimming to get level). Then, glue and screw another layer of 1/2" plywood perpendicular, and staggered to the first layer. You now have a 1" subfloor that "floats" on the concrete to nail to. A lot of work, expensive, and elevation change issues abound. I'm currently finishing my new home with concrete radiant floor heat and just installed Kahrs brand wood flooring. I've always been a "die-hard" solid wood only builder when it came to flooring, but this product is pretty impressive. It snaps together, but is not a traditional thin veneered laminate. The top 1/8" is solid hardwood, so it is good for about three sandings/refinishings over its life. It's not as cheesy as it sounds. The engineering behind the 'snap' joint is astouding. Find a local flooring retailer who has samples and check it out.