Got a call from an old customer today.
They want to do 1600 ft of prefinished 3/4″ hardwood over there existing slab that has “floating
” on it now.
They want to heat the floor in this room as well.&
#160; They mentioned electric heat.
In order for that I would need to put sleepers on the slab. Insulate between them? Then loop my wire in between the sleepers?
Would this work? Do I need a vapour barrier over the existing slab?
Anybody got a better idea how to do this?
Would be close to $20.00 sq ft to do it the way i’m thinking, so it makes for a good job to kill some time, and not have to go do the scaffold job for the union as an employee.
October 17th, 2009
Jeremy and Lisa
Was there ever any doubt?
Replies
With sleepers, I believe you'd then have to put a subfloor down
And, if this is subgrade, you shouldn't use 3/4 solid - but most prefinished engineered would be OK.
You'll need to check the dimensions of the available electric mats to determine spacing issues and potential span issues.
"Ask not what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive... then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
Howard Thurman
For a gym floor once we tapconed and glued 3/4 t&g right to concrete then hardwood over that.
this is slab on grade, you think there a problem with using real wood versus engineered?October 17th, 2009
Jeremy and Lisa
Was there ever any doubt?
You need to be concerned with the elevations, they won't want to step UP to get into the room.
I have the height to play with, room is currently low of the restOctober 17th, 2009
Jeremy and Lisa
Was there ever any doubt?
Just did one this past summer. Was an exterior porch. Leveled some areas with self-leveling cement. Shot down (with poly. const. ashesive) 3/4 plywood. 30# felt paper and then 3/4 red oak (NOT prefinished). Just had to use shorter nails which the gun rental store carries.
Are you going to glue the floor? I assume you are using engineered flooring with a veneer.
They want real hardwood. Nothing engineered.
October 17th, 2009
Jeremy and Lisa
Was there ever any doubt?
Electric heat (i.e. mats) beneath 3/4 hardwood far enough to miss the nails is gonna be pretty much a waste of money.
Dimensional hardwood is not stable on a slab, no matter how laid, so you get those calls for the rest of your life...
The way I would approach this, with electric heat, is mats, self leveling masonary product to cover them, and engineered flooring glued to the self leveler. Nice tight bonds, floor skinny enough to transmit heat, no nails through wires.
If the customer is commited to 3/4" dimensional, I would pass on the job.
As my grandfather always told me: 'Their ain't no way to get from here to there. Mister, you best start someplace else.'.
I have done this successfully. We fastened 2 x 2's to the concrete, ran the tubes, grouted between the 2x2's, and applied a layer of 3/4" plywood. Then we used 2 1/4" vertical grain white oak. It has worked out well. IIRC, the slab was already insulated underneath.