I would like to know suggested methods of installing tongue & groove heart pine flooring on a concrete slab floor.
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Replies
Can you give more info as to where the slab is located, i.e. basement, on grade etc. and how much moisture the slab would encounter. Personally I wouldn't even put a floor like that over a slab, unless you could be absolutely certain that slab is dry and will stay dry. Is there a vapor barrier beneath it, is it in a basement etc? It would also depend too on what part of the country your are in as far as humidity levels, temp changes etc. and the control you have over these conditions with environmental controls inside the house or building. I think you would be amazed at how much that wood floor will move with changes in humidity.
Lay down 6mil poly
Lay down 1/2 homasote board
Lay down 1st layer of 3/4 cdx
Glue and staple 2nd layer of 3/4 cdx, staggering seems in both directions, using PLENTY of glue.
Start your floor as usual.
mr T
Do not try this at home!
I am a trained professional!
The last post points to another problem with laying down a floor like this. You will raise the height of the floor (or lower the celing, however you want to think about it) by 2 3/4 in.. I don't know how this would affect adjoing room floors but that is a significant drop (or step up). I came up w/ 2.75 by adding all the subflooring plus 3/4" for the actual floor itself.
Henry has some good points. There are several methods to go by and it will depend on a variety of things. I know Greg Warren does it the http://www.nofma.org way. Whether or not he uses the same application at all times is unknown. You have other methods such as.
floating subfloors(2 layers of 1/2" ply attached to another with the proper moisture barriers)
3/4" ply fastened to concrete slab.
3/4" ply glued to concrete slab http://www.bostik.com/flooring/floor-index.html
sleeper system
others
The following link shows the common acceptable practice in my neck of the woods...
http://www.floridawoodfloors.net/nail.htm
Ken Fisher
2.756 actually, you forgot to add the poly!
Excellence is something good
TDo not try this at home!
I am a trained professional!
I usually track with you T, but not on this one. If you ever have any water get to the homasote, form spills, plumbing breaks, floods, or any other concievable reason (remember the dominance of Murphy's law) the homasote is a breeding greound for unpleasant results.
BTW, True Heart pine is an amazingly stable wood.Excellence is its own reward!
Ok homasote was a bad idea
Iwas thinking 'cheap cushioning insulation.
Blue board instead.
as thick as necessary for insulation porpoises.
TDo not try this at home!
I am a trained professional!
Fantastic advice! I would add; apply a good dose of termiticide under the poly
skim coat concrete w/Coldbond mastic under 6 mil poly.
1/4 x 1/4 x 1/4 trowel Coldbond under 5/8 minimum CDX
Shoot 1 1/4 concrete nails 5 across/9 down.
Check the next day for hollow spots and add nails to these areas.
Loose lay 15 lb. felt overlapping 3" approx. Nail down floor.
Wide plank may need to be glued and nailed with a urethane adhesive to maintain a quieter floor and less movement. No felt. GW
Save yourself the trouble and go with indoor/outdoor carpeting on an all weather pad and call it a finish floor!
Have you considered a floating floor type of system, like Faus, or Pergo Delux? You still raise the floor, but not as much. The systems both use combined vapor barrier/cushion material, and you end up raising the floor about 1/2" or so, much less then a traditional floor. You still have to get the floor level within the tolerances of the floor system, but this is work you will have to do anyway, with a solid surface system. It is about $5-6 per square foot as a do it yourself job, and the nice thing is that once you are done laying the floor it is completely ready to be used within 24 hours, whereas a traditional floor may be another two weeks until the sanding, staining, sealing, and finishing are all done.
(Do not use Armstrong's click lock system, as it is a beast unless you are working on a floor that does not have any door ways!)
God is in the details,
All the best.