It’s almost time to start flooring the enclosed patio I’m working on. What’s there now is the half-century old concrete slab. I want to cover this for appearance sake and also to soften the floor. No, I don’t want carpeting, as this is a transition area between the house and the back yard. I was thinking Pergo-type flooring – a plastic membrane covered by a wooden floor that floats. Would this work well? Does the moisture in the concrete limit my choices? Perhaps, I should just get an area rug and lay it over the concrete. If I did get Pergo, I’d probably lay an area rug over the top of it, sooner or later. Any thoughts on how to cover the concrete slab?
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Mike,
Does this slab in any way have exposure or contact to the outside? If so, your choices of covering the slab would be limited due to moisture wicking up.
Maybe consider acid etched concrete w/ an area rug as an option. It's inexpensive if you DIY.
Pergo is cheap so future replacement isn't a pain, no matter how you use it or becoming damaged. I use it in the kitchen and there weren't many spills but even some spills we had, it did not cause buckling or swelling at the seams. Expansion gap at the walls are must.
It is slippery so some kind of mat is important, especially if this room serves as mudroom. It is cold in winter. Hope this helps.
My brother used Armstrong Trafficmaster Allure in his entire house. It is a thick vinyl plank flooring that mimics wood flooring. It overlaps at the joints where there is an adhesive strip that holds the pieces together. It seems to be holding up pretty well and looks pretty nice also. I think it's about $1.50-2.00 a square foot at Home Depot. The material should hold up well on a covered patio, I would just do a little research to see how well the built-in adhesive works in an exterior application.
Jamie
I remember I was looking into a somewhat water-resistant Pergo type flooring a couple of years ago, and I believe Mannington made some with a plastic structure that was waterproof instead of the mdf type underside. I remember it was considerably more expensive than the run-of-the mill laminate flooring. I never did actually use it so I can't comment on its performance.
I saw a recent TOH where Tom Silva worked with a homeowner to install a Pergo type floor on concrete. The type of flooring he used was laminated to a black plastic base material which held the floor up off the concrete slightly, providing limited heat loss from direct contact and protection from water damage. I was impressed by that system and will look for it the next time a similar situation arises.
The concrete slab is exposed on two sides, the flooring would not have any exposure. The slab was poured on the ground, it is not raised or insulated from the ground in any way.
While reviewing the info at the Pergo web site, I saw a note that a moisture barrier (plastic film) is required between the slab and the foam if you plan to use the product on a slab.
So, how would I open up some other choices? Should I lay down a moisture barrier and lay in a 1/4" plywood subfloor? How would I attach it to the slab without penetrating the moisture barrier with screws?