We are removing laminate, it is glued to a concrete floor. Then we want to install hardwood, prefinished Bellawood. What can we expect to run into with removal, preparation and reinstallation over the concrete. This is a floor on the 7th floor of a condominium. It is not a basement installation.

Is this "Laminate" as you call it an engineered wood floor or a laminate like a Pergo type floor? Laminate is an older term used for engineered wood floors, now used to indicate a pergo type floor thats never really been glued to any substrate wether it's wood or concrete.

Hopefully your not going to buy a solid hardwood like the lady that just called me ten minutes ago and has a 1/2 solid cypress she wants glued down on concrete from LL. Not that it can't be done, just costs lots and lots more and is an unstable installation.

It is a laminate and it is glued to the concrete floor. It must all be removed. Then a new floor will be installed. My questions were what are we looking at to properly remove, then prepare the concrete underneath or install a new subfloor before new installation? Will we have to build a raised sub floor? Or can new floor be installed on the existing concrete?

Yes, the existing material needs to be removed. Usually a crowbar and hammer is used for removal. If you cut the planks into small pieces, with a circular saw, it may make removal easier. The toughness of removal depends on how it was installed, and with what product. Laminate is not a gluedown floor, so who knows what your up against. After plank removal, you will need to scrape the adhesive from the concrete.

As far as installation requirements.....Refer to Bellawood or LL's requirements, for their products.

I wouldn't suggest gluing down on concrete unless your a professional who knows what they are doing. Even then the slab has to be perfectly flat, as do the planks. You can do a raised floor or a floating plywood subfloor.

There's plenty of information than I have time to give you on this over at Ken's other site.

http://www.hardwoodinstaller.com/hardwoodinstaller/