The first element to consider is moisture.
Engineering concrete floating slab flooring.
So the floors are being redone and the slab is being properly leveled and this time glued.
Selecting a flooring to place over concrete slabs begins with addressing some of the most common challenges concrete floors present.
As needed use a concrete grinder you may want to rent one to remove any coating and to slightly roughen the concrete surface so the adhesive will stick.
This type of foundation is called a floating slab because it floats on the soil.
Other products are better suited for a nail down installation where they are secured to a wood subfloor with nails or staples.
Floating slabs are concrete slabs that are laying over the ground without any kind of anchoring as if it simply sits on it and floats.
When working on a clean concrete subfloor the glue down method is often the go to choice.
To avoid that and other problems there are steps we follow to ensure the slab is clean flat and relatively dry.
The surface can t be slick heavily troweled or burnished.
Why use floating slabs.
Many concrete floors have a tendency to get damp so when you are installing wood floors over a concrete slab foundation there are some important things that you need to do.
First you should put down 2x4 inch lengths of wood called sleepers.
Floating slab as the name tells it resembles a plate that is simply laid over water with no kind of connection between them.
Not doing the right prep on a slab can result in embarrassing problems such as floating floors with so much deflection that the lamp on the end table shakes back and forth when someone walks by.
Understanding your concrete substrate can equip you to pick a long lasting and compatible flooring option.
Such floors are called engineered concrete floors.
Floating slabs are used as a foundation for sheds car garages additions etc.
Concern areas for concrete slabs.
The preferred method is the floating floor installation which uses no glue or nails.
If you are installing a locking or floating floor not attached to the subfloor just make sure that the subfloor is clean.
Some engineered wood flooring products are designed for a glue down application when installing flooring over a concrete slab.
It s a concrete slab with a deepened and reinforced perimeter but which does not have frost footings.
The glue down method of engineered wood flooring installation is typically the most common and creates a highly stable floor.
Unfortunately the slab was not leveled properly which led to a number of dead spots and possibly buckling.
My wife and i purchased engineered floors for our home which is on a concrete slab.
Boards adhere well to the rough surface of the concrete subfloor and therefore lead to less gaps or planks lifting and buckling.