Concrete Subfloor Flatness And Laminate Flooring

In addition where a variety of floor finishes i e resilient carpet hardwood laminate and ceramic flooring are to be installed over a concrete surface such as a floor plate in high rise construction such surfaces i e.

Concrete subfloor flatness and laminate flooring.

How to install a glued subfloor over concrete. If any indication of a high moisture content perform a calcium chloride test. Clearly not a good thing to hear when walking on. Wood and concrete are the idea subfloors.

Concrete as a laminate flooring subfloor perform a mat test to check for moisture. Use a 6 staple pattern at the perimeter of the subfloor. Check your flooring manufacturer s recommendations to ensure you re using a proper subfloor. These higher areas on a wood subfloor require sanding and higher areas on a concrete subfloor require grinding to lower.

Mark any areas of the floor that are higher than 1 8 inch along the floor. If you have a subfloor that consists of wood on top of concrete you ll need to test both floors. Materials not suitable for a laminate installation. Self leveling underlayment products can be used on concrete floors wood subfloors that are uneven but still in decent shape and even over ceramic tile floors eliminating the task of tearing.

Check for cracks and crumbling. Moisture content should not exceed 2 5 on a dry weight basis or the floor may fail. Laminate planks are assembled together using an extremely strong mechanical locking system that creates a beautiful finished floor. These hills and valleys will eventually lead to unwanted bouncy spots squeaks and groans in the final laminate floor.

In some instances you might be able to install your flooring over an existing floor but it is important to check prior to installation if it is a suitable material. Laminate flooring is designed to be a floating floor that may be installed over virtually any type of sub floor. It s always best to fix the subfloor before installing any flooring. The main issue here is not the underlayment but the flatness of the flooring.

Look at the board where it touches the subfloor and see if there are any dips bumps or otherwise uneven areas. The whole floor plate in this case shall be finished at time of placement to suit the most critical flatness and. To test for the flatness for laying laminate flooring on an uneven subfloor lay a 10 foot long 2x4 board. And by floating we mean that it doesn t need to be nailed or glued to the sub floor.

As with a floated subfloor nwfa recommends a vapor retarder for glue down subfloors when installing wood flooring over concrete.