After a dishwater leak we have to replace our parquet hardwood floor. We are getting conflicting advise.?

Question

We have radient heat ( pipes in 1 1/2 inch light aggregate concrete) so our parquet flooring is glued to this cement base.
Some trades people advise tearing all the old flooring off and repairing damage caused to the cement base & then glueing new flooring down.

Other contractors recommend leaving the existing floor in place. Lift only loose pieces of floor & glue down a repair patch and then put a new floor directly on the old wood floor.

The logic seems to be , only a small portion of the existing floor has been lifted by the water. The rest of the existing floor is well glued down . To tear it off will cause damage & roughspots on the cement base and patching may not hold or the new floor may not be smooth . Better to just glue a new floor on top of the wood.
Others believe that gluing the new floor on to existing will lead to problems down the road???

All advice on how to proceed will be helpful.

Ross MacLennan

Answer 1

If you enjoy radiant heat as much as I do I would tear off the old floor and install new. Wood and glue is just above carpet as the worst thing to put over radiant heat. The more layers of wood the more insulated the heating becomes and therefore the less comfortable and efficient. Don't worry about damage to the concrete, it is easily repaired and with the proper material will patch permanently.

I see you like the ambiance of wood but I think you might consider using tile in the kitchen. 1) No more water problems. 2) You get the best effect of radiant heat. 3) Much lower maintenance. Just a thought.

Added note: If your dishwasher sits on the subfloor, an added layer of wood may prevent you from installing/removing it under the countertop.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

I would call someone who puts in this type of radiant heat and ask what they suggest. Personally I would repair the bad areas then have someone put in pergo wood floor over the old that is not glued down it is thin and a floating floor. Good Luck...
Check out site below...

Answer 3

im with your guy ive just done one of these, the glue is hell to lift off belive me, i replaced it with backer board and re tiled over it , but wood would work the same , i filled i nthe hole with self leveling compound, the floor will dry out ,if you put some heat into the room for a day or so, try hireing a gas heater to dry it out , and the remodeler will be really happy........... ross stop worrying its only a floor it will be ok

Answer 4

listen to pat. he's right. any good floor installer can level any damage and you'll be better off with just the single floor. good luck.