i have moisture on the floor all along one of my walls, about 6 or 7 boards have to be replace.the floor is just glued to the concrete slab, i went to homedepot to buy something to apply to the concrete or something to apply before installing the new floor, but the clerk told me i have to replace the whole floor, because there is nothing to apply before the floor and underlayments are too thick and the floor would not be leveled.Please can anyone help me with a solution so i dont have to replace 1000sq ft of floor.thank you
Short answer- Yes, you can. But, be aware of potential problems that can come later. You will have an organic material under the floor cut off from being able to breath- that basically means the surface you put over it will cut it off from being able to dry out if it get wet. If it gets wet, it will mildew - rot, and stink something awful. also, that old floor will have voids that you can not get to, making it a perfect habitat for insects. Although right now you are not able to actually, physically get under the old floor, if you or an expert applicator had to get to insect infestations, it is much more possible than if the old floor were covered. Covering it makes it less accessible and much more inviting to infestations. Basically, in construction, it is never a good idea to cover old material with new. A proper fix is to chip it out, level the floor correctly and lay down the new covering. I understand the prohibitive expense of this. But, imagine what you'll pay later with an improper job on top of what you will eventually have to do anyway?
You definitely do not have to replace 1000 ft2 of floor. The problem you are having is one of the reasons I did not go with the glued floor, I could not figure out how to vapor proof the floor from water. I would take out the boards that are bad and then asses the problem if you have to take out one more farther in to get a good place to bond to. I replaces a piece in the middle of a regular hardwood floor once and it takes a bit of time and patience to remove the bad piece without messing up the good ones that can be left. If you can leave the toungue or groove on the mating piece to match up to. Make sure the area is clean of the old glue. I would then get some of the cushion vapor barrier that you can buy and put it under the boards that are going over the moisture problem area. I do not think a coating would work. A 1/8 inch layer should not be noticeable and if it is go back and remove another board to lessen the slope of the floor. You could also use some 15 pound roofing felt to give a vapor barrier. Then when you glue back try to attach the new boards to the underside of the old boards so that glue does not come through. And note before you do this I would go to a wood flooring store and ask an experienced installer if you are going in the right direction. If you plead stupidity it is remarkable what you can learn from some of those old guys.
There are many adhesives that are formulated for engineered hardwood floors and are designed to act as both an adhesive and vapor barrier when going down on concrete slab. This barrier is designed to prevent “normal” wicking of ground moisture from the soil under the slab and causing damage to your floor. The very first step is to determine the cause of the moisture and correct it. If the adhesive you used originally was not the moisture barrier type, and/or you did not use a moisture barrier before the adhesive (the paint on type not the kind you would use with laminate) you will have problems with the whole floor. If the moisture is from another source the issue with your floor may be localized and you may be able to replace just the damaged boards. The floor needs to be flat (level) before the engineered product can be properly installed or there may be gaps between the flooring and the slab that will lead to problems. Like many projects preparation is key and something that is glossed over by far too many. So… On the plus side, you may be able to replace just the damaged areas. The down side is of all of the wood floor types, nail down, floating, and glue down, the glued down floor is the most difficult to make repairs to in my opinion. I hole this helps. Good Luck. G. Borders Home Repair, Improvement, & Handyman Services Carrollton Home Repair & Improvement Contractor
