Hello,

The builder wanted 11K to do floors on the first floor so I did not take that insanity. So I am considering doing it my self or hiring a contractor. Either way we are buying the wood ourselves. My questions are on the DIY side.

Glue-Down on concrete with Engineered Boards in Town Home

Prep:
The slab has cured over 90+ days so I feel safe there. I noticed, as the home was finished that the concrete has your typical paint, and crap... on it as well as a small crack. Beyond a patch on the crack with Fast Patch 102 and a good scap and clean ,should I lay a moisture barrier down like Bostic MVP?

Measure:
I have 650 sf give or take that spans three major rooms (Dining, Den and Living Room), a hall and bathroom. This is an open floor plan on the three major rooms. I am thinking of starting the floor in the Living Room as it has a wall that is not common, but exposed...we live in an end unit. Since I am dealing with multiple rooms what is the best method to determine my starting line? One thing to add...when you walk into the home you will see the line of the floor span from the door to the dining room back wall. And since the entry was has a half wall and the den wall it needs to be visually correct. Shoudl I work off these walls to determine my start line and back into my start wall? I hope this makes sense.


Start:
I have seen two different types of ways to start a floor. One is working from a chalk line a few boards out(enough that allows one to reach and lay the last board) back to a wall, in some cases a board was nailed down at the chalk line as a guide. The other also used a board nailed, but this was done closer to the wall,exactely one board length out. The floor was then build off that board which was removed once the floor was done and replaced with an actual floor board. Thoughts on starting in these manners or is there an alternative?

Thanks in advance for the help!!!!

alot of the guys here say not to do wood on a concret sub floor, i think that it is fine to do so with the right flooring contractor, do your tests , use proper sealers ,and it should be fine ,it cost more to do it right ,some of the sealers can get very costly, we install about 75 floors a year this way and in 25 years had one promblem with moisture , but the bottom line is knowing how and what products to use , i dont recommend a DIY to do this job ,to much can go wrong and then you bought it ,you will want to look for one of the best installers you can find and look into the products he will use , if done right this floor will last you for many many years , best of luck to you and your floor