what do I need to know about installing hardwood floors on a concrete slab? How is it different from...?

Question

installing floors on a plywood subfloor?

Answer 1

the difference is on a cement floor you glue the boards to the cement........they make a special glue for this .......
on plywood the boards are nailed or stapled to the plywood using a special gun.......the one I use hooks to a air compressor and you hit it with a mallet.....
if you put this in yourself you need to only glue a few feet at a time because the glue will set up fast and if that happens you can have problems with the boards not sticking so my advise to a first timer is to take it slow with the glue................

Answer 2

You'll want to be sure the floor is sealed and level. Also, you'll want to do a floating floor. If you're doing real hardwood, you may have to install firring strips to nail it to, but if you're doing laminate or engineered wood, just the membrane below it and then assemble on top, and you're done. The weight of the floor will keep it from shifting and the quarter round on the edges will hide the gap you'll need to have. I would discourage using real hardwood, go with the engineered stuff, it doesn't warp as badly.

Answer 3

First, the floor needs to be very level. Most concrete floors are not level because they build most units to have carpet covering. If you check closely, you may want to put down a sub floor first.

Answer 4

Anywhere that sells the flooring should be able to provide you with instructions. Home Depot also regularly schedules home improvement courses that include flooring.