I'm going to be installing laminate flooring in a house that has had the carpet and old tiling torn out. The floor is currently bare smooth concrete. The house is not over 20 years old so everything is in good (non-leaking) condition. The only thing on the floor is some of the residual carpet glue and some screw holes from the thresholds. Will i need a vapor barrier? If so, what kind? will i need to seal the concrete floor with something? What is the best kind of saw to use to cut laminate flooring when detail work needs done as well? Thank you for your answers!
This Site Might Help You. RE: How do I install laminate flooring on a concrete floor? I'm going to be installing laminate flooring in a house that has had the carpet and old tiling torn out. The floor is currently bare smooth concrete. The house is not over 20 years old so everything...
You will need a moisture barrier(plastic sheeting)because all the prepadded laminate ive ever seen requires a moisture barrier over concrete slab.The weight of the floor keeps it down but if you attach it to anything it will cause the floor to buckle or seperate when it expands or contracts.Depending on where your installing it and what brand you may need to fill expansion gap with silicone and/or to glue the pieces together to keep moisture from getting down between the boards.
Laminate Flooring On Concrete
You can install the flooring over the concrete easily. It is known as a floating floor. Make sure you check the manufacturer's instructions though because they may require specifics to maintain the manufacturer warranty on the product. (i.e. gluing down may void warranty). If the manufacturer does not provide instructions, or you cannot find them, you can reference another manufacturer to determine best methods. I have linked the Pergo install guide page below. The residual glue on your concrete may pose some problems but the underlayment you put down under the flooring assists in overcoming this. You need to have an underlayment though. 1st thing I would suggest is testing the concrete floor for moisture content. Anything over 4-5% will possibly create problems. Adding a 6mil (min.) vapor barrier is preferred over concrete with overlapping seams. After testing the concrete, make sure to remove any large areas of glue that stick up. While you don't need to remove it all, the floor level should be free from anything sticking up more than 1/16 Installing new laminate flooring as a floating floor is a preferred method as it will help allow for expansion and contraction of the wood during cold/warm temperatures. You need to therefore also leave a gap around the perimeter of the room and islands. As for saws... The preferred saw I have used (and seen used) for laminate flooring is a radial arm saw (10 blade). For ripping down boards lengthwise, you pretty much need a table saw to do it properly. However, without these 2 specialty tools, you can use a hand held circular saw for most all boardccuts assuming you can consistently keep cuts straight. A jigsaw will help with small cuts around obstacles and door frames but a coping saw could be subbed (again assuming cuts will be straight) Lastly, to undercut door frames, you need a straight hand saw or on of the newer oscillating flush cut tools. Hand saw is cheap but hard to use. Oscillating tool is easy but runs about $100.
Installing Laminate Flooring Over Concrete
