Hi all,

I was told by a reputable local floor store (that was reccomended to me by a local installer who is very active at a different flooring message board and lives locally as well) that there would be NO trouble putting a 7/16" hardwood Santos Mahogany on an above grade, dry slab.

I asked several times - more than one person. Totally fine and they do it all the time.

So we bought 550 sq ft. of it.

However, I come here and everyone says NO SOLID ON CONCRETE. So what is the deal here? Do I trust the local shop that ONLY sells and installs wood floors day in and day out? Someone is right, I assume. Are there exceptions? The engineered I was considering was even more expensive than what they talked me into, so there is no way that they were just trying to get me to spend more.

Either way, this floor needs to go in... It has been sitting in the room for weeks getting nice and happy. So what might my future problems be with this hardwood on slab? OH, and can anyone reccomend someone in Austin to PROPERLY level our slab?

Thanks!

Laura

EDITED By Aministration:

No more bashing of installers allowed.


With Bostiks MVP, I'll gluedown the solid wood, as long as I'm not held responsible for any moisture related issues, with a signed liability waiver.



What exactly do you need in the form of floor prep?

EDITED By Aministration:

Everybody should know where you are located by looking at your name and location.

No, it wasn't them. I had already heard bad things about LL, so I didn't bother with them...

For glue, we have Bostiks BST Urethane. Is this not good enough? Should I return it for the MVP? I am thinking I should.

We want to DIY the install, but I know the prep is super important. Our neighbor glued engineered (over 2,000 sq ft.) a year ago and it is popping up all over. They didn't level at all. We want to avoid that at all costs.

We anal-y (not a word, I know) went over the floor with a long metal level and made a topography of the low spots. It isn't too bad, but it needed attention. We filled the spots, but we still are having flatness issues. We are being really anal - maybe too anal?

I found your pictures you posted of an install where you filled a dip and then skim coated the room. I think that is what we need to do. Problem is that we (my Dad and I) have very little experience with cement, so we want to do it right (ie. get help!).

FWIW, our slab has proven itself to be very dry. We have had the carpet up and a bare slab for a couple of months (ugh!) and we have never found even a slight problem.

Any thoughts? I really appreciate any guidance you can give! Would you be willing to come "consult" for a fee? Or do it for us? Can you either pm or email me your hourly rate and approximate time 500 sq ft might take you? (if that info can't be posted here)

Thank you!

Laura

Laura,
Even though the slab may seem dry it wouldn't be a bad idea to get a moisture test. Also MVP is a moistore barrier then BEST glue is applied over that once MVP dries. HTH

Drew

Thanks Drew!

I am clued in on the MVP now. That makes much more sense when you know what it is!

While we haven't used a meter, we did have 6 or 8 areas taped down for three months around the room and never once saw condensation. I know this isn't a perfect method, but it leaves us confident that things are pretty dry here.

Thank you for writing! I appreciate it!

Laura

Laura,

It may leave you confident but it will not leave the manufacturer of your wood or your glue confident if it fails. They will out and out flat refuse to pay any claim, for $40 you can get a calcium chloride test which is the defacto LEGAL standard for moisture vapor emissions testing. With one of these, properly administered, you can make anybody and everybody pay in court if it fails. The tape / mat test is a good indicator but it does not hold up in court. Even a moisture meter reading can be contested in court.