Was it as difficult as all the hype ? What was the hardest part?Estimates for having done are 8-10K, just can't pay that.
I did it with glue down engineered hardwood at my friend's house. The only difficulty was that the few parts of the floor that weren't completely level had a little give at first. With time, the floor will settle into any minor dips. Any major dips or cracks in the concrete will need to be leveled by skimming, which is basically just thinning down thinset mortar and using a squeegy (not sure if I spelled that right) to spread it. It went down really easily.
It's easier with swift-lock but KM has good answer. Just don't forget to put the vapor barrier. Concrete holds humidity. You don't want to get your floor damp.
I would use cork underlayment which works really good for sound deading purposes. If you go with the cork underlayment then you need to go with a floating floor. Locking hardwoods provide this option as well as using a regular engineered tongue and groove hardwood. If you go with the tongue and groove engineered you'll need to make sure it is at least 4 wide and use must glue the boards together with tongue and grove adhesive. So you float the floors but they are glued together. This option or going with an engineered lockign hardwood are your best options.
KM covered most things- just a few to add. Engineered wood is made to be glued direct to the concrete, the glue is the vapor barrier. Get some 10 to 15 lb weights. this will help if a spot is not level, put a weight on it. Also and most important, do NOT allow the glue on the top of the wood to dry. Dried glue will NOT come off. Clean as you go. Mineral spirits will remove it from your hands and the wood before its dry. under cut all door frames, You can rent a jam cutter.
Yes. If you've installed floors before you'll know, but for one thing you have to use leveling concrete to make sure the surface is level. Then you've got to be sure to spread out the wood evenly as you're installing it to give it tht more natural look. Make sure that no seams are lined up or at least 6 apart within two rows.Working with a trowel an polurethane glue takes some practice, too. When you get to the end pieces piece backwards and mark upside down w/a pencil to get the right size before you cut. Leave at least a 1/4 gap on the sides. You will also need ratcheting floor clamps and blue tape to hold everything in place while the glue cures.Also,you will need shims and a bar(I don'tknow how it's called) that you can pound backwards on the flooring to get it in place. Put weight on any loose spots te hold down and if any are loose afterward, you can inject filler at the end, but be sure to level everything. I think the hardest part would be leveling, getting the rythem, and using the glue.
