Hardwood
Flooring Over Concrete Slabs
With the right
subfloors, solid hardwood flooring can be installed successfully
on either on-grade or above-grade slabs. Below-grade installation
is not recommended for solid wood.
The slab must
be flat and level with a trowel finish, free of grease, oil, stains
and dust. New concrete must be dry before beginning the subfloor.
Two subfloors
are recommended: either 3/4" thick plywood, or 2" x 4" sleepers.
Either system is satisfactory for 3/4 inch flooring up to 4 inches
wide. For plank flooring 4 inches and wider must be used with
the plywood-on-slab system or a sleeper system with an additional
nailing surface.
Concrete slab
subfloor systems require proper vapor barriers of either asphalt
felt and mastic or polyethylene.
