Folks:

1) Vapor barrier: I would prefer to go with solid wood but cannot figure out how the installer would put down a vapor/moisture barrier between our concrete grade level floor (after the carpet comes up) and the 3/8 inch GLUE-DOWN solid wood floor.

The house is about ten years old but we live in coastal, southern Florida so moisture has to be a concern.

2) Installers: should the charge by installers per-square-foot be a bit less if I am going with 5 inch wide plank (probably engineered given the problem above)? There would seem to be less work involved than with 2 to 3 inch widths, no?

This sight has been the best I've found. If you were not here I would have ended up with 3/4 x 5 inch bloodwood solid from Lumber Liquidators without realizing the likely problems versus the beautiful sample in the store or that I would be coming up nealy 1 3/4 inches above grade!

Thanks again.

GUY:

1) This website is based in south Florida. That's why you see more information on gluedown floors than anywhere else. It does seem over the last year or so some manufacturers are pushing for moisture barriers on slab so they don't get the "blame" for failed installations. Some guys won't go near a SOLID gluedown like you mention--may have much to do with the products they've worked with.

Personally I've been involved in well over 20 or 30,000 square feet of solid gluedowns(5/16" up to 9/16") from Tampa to Naples and Ft. Lauderdale. If all the elements are there for a successful install there's no need for a moisture barrier.

BUT an engineered product is a better idea due to it's stability and other factors with gluedowns. Products have come a long way since I first started in the business.

2) You would think so. I remember asking(when I slaved away for some retailers) for more $$ per square foot on that older type 1 1/2" solid 3/4" strip that would take forever to install. Their reply was always "oh okay..then we'll pay you less for the wider plank installs" I kept my mouth shut after that.

Look around we have some perty good prices on the site with more products coming soon. We can also get many products that aren't listed on the site.

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Solids over concrete are very risky.

I agree, an engineered cross-ply is a much better choice, over any concrete, where moisture vapor emissions are dynamic, and ever changing, not static.

A couple of days of good rains and your OK concrete slab, can become a sponge, basically(depends how much water was used in the original mix, and the size of the pours in the concrete). Changing the moisture vapor emissions. Your wood that has been great and trouble free for 2 or 3 years, is now cupped and buckling. It's not the installers fault. Its not the wood floorings fault. It is site related and you will bear the cost of removal and replacement, with an acceptable flooring.