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Hard Flooring
I'd like to install solid wood floorboards on concrete. what's the best way to do it? adhesive, chipboard?
5 Answers from MyBuilder Flooring Fitters
Best Answer
Morpeth • Member since 12 Jan 2010 • 16 jobs, 100% positive feedback
Are you wanting to see the floorboards as a finished floor?
If so u need to float the floor on a vapour barrier membrane, best way probably to glue nthe tongue/groves and secret nail each tongue at 45 deg into the next board.
If u are not bothered about the finish ( carpeting) then u could drill and fix with suitable screws and fixings, I would still put a damp proof membrane under the timber floor as concret gives off a number of vapours which can damge the wood above.
regards mark
Answered 18th May 2011
Hillam Leeds • Member since 21 Feb 2011 • No feedback yet
I asume a pre finished oak or similar. If the concrete is level you could glue the floor to the concrete using an adhesive (as you would a ceramic tile] It is advisable to use an epoxy primer first, it is expencive, about £60 for an average room. The adhesive is also expencive and if the concrete is uneaven to get a good fixing is a bit of a gamble.
The best bet is to use an adhesive underlay which sticks the boards together and allows for undulations in the subfloor. If there is damp in the subfloor a damproof membrain is reccomended which costs very little. Don't be tempted to use a PVA adhesive and a laminate type underlay as they will fail in a few years.
Woodfloorfitters.org
Keith Crellin
est. 1966
Answered 19th May 2011
Stockport • Member since 28 Apr 2011 • 37 jobs, 100% positive feedback
Hi
The most professional way to fit wood on to concrete is to use damp prior floor paint then screed the floor and lay the wood on top using the correct flooring glue witch dries like rubber for any expanchion
Many thanks darren at FloorFit-connection.com
Answered 19th May 2011
London • Member since 28 May 2010 • 57 jobs, 98% positive feedback
Usually with all solid wood floors over 18mm thick you should fix the boards securely to the subfloor. This is due to expansion purposes. If the subfloor is concrete then you will need to use a suitable adhesive, Sika and Ball stopgap are the market leaders in flooring adhesives. You can screw either ply or chipboard down onto the concrete if you wish, that would then mean that the new solid wood floor can be nailed down. If you choose to lay the flooring straight onto the concrete then its advisable to carry out a damp test and if the results are more than 8% RH (relative humidity) then a liquid dpm will need to be used as well as a 3mm thick latex layer as most adesives wont bond properly to the dpm. I would check the manufacturers recommendations as some prefer to have a dpm installed regardless of RH.
Regards
Jamie
www.prestigiuosflooring.co.uk
Answered 19th May 2011
The Wood flooring Company (Cheshire) Ltd
Stockport • Member since 10 Dec 2009 • 4 jobs, 100% positive feedback
I am assuming that you mean solid wood prefinished flooring and not tongue and groove domestic floorboards. If so you first need to perform a humidity/moisture test on the concrete floor, if that is suitable and your floor is flat we tend to use the sausage guns (large mastic applicators) and arrange your beads of adhesive at 45 degrees to the direction of planks and bed the planks into the adhesive.
Other methods include fixing by secret pin to pre laid batons or by a full stick using a Modified Silane. Either way an experienced wood floor fitter would have to visit to give advice if you want to be sure.
Dave
Answered 19th May 2011
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