Wood floor over concrete?

[etpm]

Wow, lotsa stuff to think about. The existing floor is always dry. There is no moisture coming up from below. When the slab was poured a moisture barrier was put down first over sand. The basement is the daylight type so we have two large windows and a pair of french doors leading outside. The basement is cool year 'round so I imagine the floor is too. I didn't even consider in-floor heating. I'll need to think about that. We will have oriental rugs on the floor like we do upstairs. But of course they don't cover all the floor. Thanks for all the suggestions and advice folks!
Eric

 

[2manyrocks]

Concrete could be stained or you could install ceramic tile over the concrete, but I don't know if tile would properly bond if the concrete has ever been stained.

Concrete can feel dry to the touch, but actually be wet underneath. You really need to know what your moisture situation is because it can make a wood floor pop and buckle.

 

[mikester]

I did a floating engineered wood floor over concrete. Use a good quality underlay. No problems, warm and dry...then again my insulated concrete floor was dry to start with.

Put a sheet of plastic and something covering it on your floor somewhere for at least a week. If you lift up the plastic and see a dark spot where the plastic was you may have a moisture or dampness issue to worry about.

 

[etpm]

I did a floating engineered wood floor over concrete. Use a good quality underlay. No problems, warm and dry...then again my insulated concrete floor was dry to start with.

Put a sheet of plastic and something covering it on your floor somewhere for at least a week. If you lift up the plastic and see a dark spot where the plastic was you may have a moisture or dampness issue to worry about.

Thanks for that. A good test. I'll try a few spots.
Eric