Flooring Underlayment

[B7510HSD]

Thanks guys just got back from the Depot and couldn't find anybody that knew much in the floor department!

 

[Rock knocker]

Thanks guys just got back from the Depot and couldn't find anybody that knew much in the floor department!

There's a shock for you.

I was in commercial construction for many years, and what you want to do could actually be quite a challenge, given time and budgets. One could always thin-set some cementatious underlayment down to the existing conc. Gluing plywood down always became an issue of de lamination. I would think about using a thicker pre-finished engineered wood plank flooring, and gluing it down. That would gain you a lot of elevation. It would also not sound hollow like laminate often does.

I would also consider buying my material from someplace like Valley Floors in Kent. Their price should be about the same as HD, and people like Jim or Gene should be able to give you a pointer or two about how to handle your height problem.

 

[B7510HSD]

There's a shock for you.

I was in commercial construction for many years, and what you want to do could actually be quite a challenge, given time and budgets. One could always thin-set some cementatious underlayment down to the existing conc. Gluing plywood down always became an issue of de lamination. I would think about using a thicker pre-finished engineered wood plank flooring, and gluing it down. That would gain you a lot of elevation. It would also not sound hollow like laminate often does.

I would also consider buying my material from someplace like Valley Floors in Kent. Their price should be about the same as HD, and people like Jim or Gene should be able to give you a pointer or two about how to handle your height problem.

Thanks I will try and swing by there in the next week!!

 

[murphy1244]

There's a shock for you.

I was in commercial construction for many years, and what you want to do could actually be quite a challenge, given time and budgets. One could always thin-set some cementatious underlayment down to the existing conc. Gluing plywood down always became an issue of de lamination. I would think about using a thicker pre-finished engineered wood plank flooring, and gluing it down. That would gain you a lot of elevation. It would also not sound hollow like laminate often does.

I would also consider buying my material from someplace like Valley Floors in Kent. Their price should be about the same as HD, and people like Jim or Gene should be able to give you a pointer or two about how to handle your height problem.

Thats the floor I had done in my kitchen and great room.The floor has varying widths and lenths like old barn wood.

 

[nctacoma]

Make sure you use a moisture meter to check the moisture level in the concrete slab before you lay down a new floor and make sure the moisture level in the slab is within allowable levels of whatever floor you end up putting down. Do this even if you isolate the slab with a vapor barrier.

I have seen some bad results when people didn't let the slabs dry out enough.

Fresh concrete has a surprising amount of water in it and it needs to go somewhere as it cures. It takes more than a few days as well. You don't want all that moisture ending up in a brand new floor with no way to dry out.
Fine Homebuildng(the magazine) had an article About Prepping A concrete slab for wood floors. Might be worth a google search.

 

[Qapla]

If you are OK with a "low-sloping" transition from one height to the other, they make a wedge-shaped rubber transition strip that is designed to be glued to the slab. Then you can put whatever you want over it, like glue-down carpet, laminate, hardwood, even VCT.

It comes in various widths and thicknesses but you would need to go to a flooring installation supplier to find it.