I know laminate and glue down installations are low to the floor, but I am interested in hardwood. My slab is at or above grade. I would prefer pre-finished solid hardwood but could deal with engineered. What is the lowest overall height I can get?

For a sleeper application, is it possible to use 1x4s and 3/4" flooring? 1x4s and 5/8" flooring?

For a plywood application, is it possible to use 1/2" plywood?

I would love to stay at as little as 1" to minimize problems with the height difference at doorways and bathrooms. What are my options?

Thanks!

Can't use 1/2 inch if your going to fasten it. You could just glue the flooring itself with a trowel on vapor retarder, or you can glue 3/4 ply down and fasten it then fasten the flooring to it. Some ppl do a floating subfloor with 6 mil under it. There's plenty of threads here about that.

I would look into a quality 5/8" engeneered line glued directly to the slab. A quality one will typically have a baltic birch back with 3.5 to 4 mill top. Look for one that has up to 7' lenghts. Owens plank was nice before they went under a few months back. THere are others out there though.

Prep the concrete to be as flat as possible. Grind the high spots and fill the low spots with portland cement patching compound.

Take 15# roofing paper. Roll it out and overlap the seams.

Get some black 6-mil plastic for a moisture barrier, and some clear packing tape to tape the seams . Lay it over the roofing felt.

The felt it going to keep the plastic from wearing through over time from the little abrasion that occurs, and is a little cushion.

Cut your 3/8 or 1/2 inch plywood or osb into 16 inch x 8 feet planks. Lay them in a staggered end joints across the floor leaving expansion space. Run them the opposite direction you want the flooring to run, so no long seams line up with long seams. Use a good urethane glue and glue the flooring to the floating subfloor planks, making sure you have acclimated the flooring well. Proper acclimation, knowing the moisture content of the highest it may get, will be your ticket to success.

It can happen. Did one like this over rubber cleats.

This is using real hardwood?

I think I may be stuck with an engineered hardwood. Could I copy this method minus the plywood and no glueing? Just a floating engineered click flooring over the felt and moisture barrier.

Do I need to worry about the moisture content if I am using a moisture barrier? The moisture content is only needed if you plan to go right down on the concrete right?

Thank you

I have been considering my options in this case as well. There are two major issues that should be considered for hardwood on slabs: moisture and stability. I find that in my split level design, the most moisture in the basement comes from around the crawlspace area (the remainder of the slab is at grade, too). Engineered hardwood provides the glue-down option that saves extra height required for nail-down installation.

Quite frankly, I am giving up on hardwood and even engineered wood. At this point, I am seriously considering DuPont laminate in a stone look (the wood-like patterns don't impress me). The nice thing about this flooring is the ease of installation and accommodation to concrete slab use.

Just float the engineered with a good T&G adhesive and quality underlayment. Saves a lot of money and hassle. Doing a 2500sf one now, 5/8 engineered distressed Birch.

Been using The Silencer for a couple years now with no moisture issues. Good sound blocker too. Then there's the Eco-silencer also.

http://www.foamproducts.com/

I've seen laminates have moisture issues many times out here especially when using cheapo underlayment vapor retarders they sell at big box stores. So just because you cjhoose to do a laminate does not mean your not going to have moisture issues. Typically the internet flooring companies do not sell the high end stuff like Silencer either.

Floorguy or someone else,

When you say to float the plywood subfloor on the 6 mil plastic, are you saying to place the plywood down and that's it? It's not going to shift or bobble as long as the slab is level? And once you nail the 3/4" hardwood into the plywood, it will be indistinguishable from a floor that had a screwed down subfloor?


Thanks for your help.

Consider that a 3/4 ply + 3/4 hardwood assembly will weigh approximately 5 lbs per square foot, thus a 400 sq. ft. install will weigh about a ton. This shouldn't present any undo movement within the floor, except in locations where proper levelling wasn't acheived.

I have a few 4 x 8 panels in the shop that are 3/4 flooring on 3/4" plywood and those thingss are tanks. It takes two strong guys to move.

Thanks for both of your responses.
After ripping up the carpet and the linoleum / plasticky brittle thin tiles, i'm left with a layer of black glue.
Questions:
1) Can I grind the high spots and apply the floor leveling compound over the glue?
2) If that is not possible and the glue has to be removed, are we talking about getting to a completely spic and span, no hint of glue surface?
3) Are there any products you've used with success to remove the black glue?

I much appreciate your input.

Wolf, that black glue is cutbac adhesive which typically contains asbestos. The industry method if your going to glue your floor down is to wet scrape it off so that there is only a residue left in the pours of the concrete. Then skimcoat with Ardex-SF, then glue.

Do not use chemical adhesive removers as they will wick back up and create a bond breaker. And do NOT grindhigh spots or the adhesive off unless you have a dustless system. The best way to get rid of it is to hire a company that has a bead blaster hooked up to an exterior extraction system.

Thanks, Stephen.

You mentioned the industry standard for a glue down installation. Would the first two steps of wet scraping followed by the skimcoat hold true for a nail down installation that includes floating a plywood subfloor?

You don't need to do anything unless your going to glue the hardwood down.

Great. Many thanks.