Okay pros - you have seen and installed it all. At the end of the day, what would you put on your slab if you lived in central Texas? Which brand?

I have 500 sq ft to cover and I am struggling to decide! I am loving the Santos Mahogany, but I am open to other species.

I look forward to your opinions!

Laura

Quartersawn white oak, clear grade, 3/4" T&G with borders and feature strips and maybe a medallion. Very traditional. You'd need a plywood subfloor installed first however. Santos is beautiful as well just too dark for my tastes.

Wide plank walnut.

Since I live in Central Texas, the land of the concrete slabs. I would suggest Mannington engineered, to be directly glued to the concrete. BR-111 engineered is second choice.

DO NOT PUT A SOLID OVER CONCRETE!!!

Brown carpet.

3/8" or 1/2" unfinished white oak glued to concrete, sanded and finished on site. Narrow borders and a medallion in the entry way. Solid thinner hardwoods are successfully glued every day.

I forgot to add that I would lay a plywood sub floor. Sorry, I am a sucker for solids and if it where going in my house I would go for solid. No real reasons the engineered woods are just as good, there is just something authentic to me about a solid. And I love the look of a dark hand scraped wide plank wood. My choice for an engineered would be Patina Relics walnut.

Perry, you meant gluing directly, right? But solid installed on a plywood subfloor over a moisture barrier over concrete would be ok with you, right?

Gary:

He's seen too many Lumber Liquidator failures. I don't blame him for having that opinion.

Chuck, what's carpet?

Ain't that the truth! And BR-111, too, with some Natural Reflections thrown in for good measure.

It is too dang risky for my wallet.

Gary, no problem at all, except they never put the moisture barrier system in right. They always compromise the moisture barriers and it fails too!! Seen many, many of them.

It is common to plan in the building stages to recess the wood floor to be level with the concrete. It becomes a swimming pool!!!! And plywood or screeds fastened through the moisture barrier without asphalt mastic. It blows. Looked at one last week like that that has pushed walls an inch and a half out.

Wow - thank you for the replies!

I was told locally that you CAN glue directly to concrete provided you use a wood that can handle it and you make sure that you take care of moisture issues. With a high quality engineered, might this be okay? Like Mirage maybe? What about the 7/16'' solid BR111 Brazilian Cherry?

I LOVE the idea of a border and/or medallion, but we are DIYing here and I think that may be a bit over our heads...

Thanks again!

Laura

Ipe.

Yes all engineered can be glued down, but you should use a moisture barrier such as Bostik MVP to ensure that moisture is under control.



No never glue a solid down. Solid Brazilian Cherry glued down is a guaranteed recipe for disaster.

4 - 5" wide 3/4" Sydney blue, site finished, diagonal install, maybe a thin border with some french knots.