Gluing down prefinished solid hardwood flooring directly over concrete slab

[@jdigity72]

Mezmur - no problems other than what I stated previously. No buckles, bows or major issues. But as I said, I can see where parts of the floor have some slight cupping and it's only noticeable when the light hits it and I'm standing on the other side. I believe this happened because the HVAC system wasn't set to dehumidify when it got hot and our humidity was at like 90% for a couple of weeks before we figured it out. Anyway, all that said, would I still do this? Honestly I'd have to say no I wouldn't. Bottom line is there's less risk with engineered wood even if it doesn't look as nice as solid.

[@jameslittral8261]

justin keeton . Been doing this trade for 23 years. The fluted cuts in the back of solid wood indicates the floor should only be nailed down. They are there for a reason. Airflow. Dude must be a rookie. The perpendicular cuts in engineered wood are for flexibility to get proper adhesion when being glued down. If you want solid 3/4 on slab then you must hilti gun osb plywood to your slab. Dude said himself he has cupping in spots so he is setting people up for failure. This is non negotiable and not open for debate. Your welcome.

[@tonytung6494]

@@jameslittral8261 i AM WITH YOU I am a home owner first time installing 3/4 solid teak in California. 99% of installer wanting to do glue down to maximise profit trying to talk you into glue down over concrete slab. Please don't. I opted paying more going with nail down over plywood and the floor is done right. Don't be penny wise and pound foolish if you are using exotic hard wood that is 3/4 inch thick. Glue down only if your solid wood flooring is less than 3/4 in California.

[@kpstar1690]

This is by far the most intuitive video I've come across - great tips &insight!! Thanks!!

[@paulao7864]

did you get any gaps or moisture problems yet.

[@jdigity72]

if I remember correctly it was around $4.50 a square foot, with wood, glue and moisture barrier. the only issue I have is in spots around the house, the boards have crowned ever so slightly. you can only tell when the light hits the floor in the right manner. I'm pretty sure this happened because I had trouble adjusting my new hvac system to dehumidify the air when the muggy southern summer hit. But like I said, no one notices this but me.

[@jfishization]

hey dude.....fish

[@alhambra119]

Hello, It has been 7yrs since you posted. I really like the Brazillian teak solid wood floor over the concrete. But My contractor is against it. I wonder how your floors have been coping. I really appreciate your time.

[@jdigity72]

Hello June - I now have an addition to the house with the same flooring over a baton wood base and there’s no difference between it and the flooring glued down over the slab. Hope that helps.

[@alhambra119]

Wow.’thank u so much for the quick reply. That’s wonderful to know. Ur information encourages me. I was going to go with engineered wood on down stairs and solid on the second floor. God bless!

[@kaleenas1717]

my father in law bought some of this glue down hardwood but he is wanting me to lay it directly over hardwood floor...is there an issue with doing it like this?

[@chendodelgado9179]

Derek S it will be ...the existing hard wood is going to start pooping up because ones you put the other one on top will create moisture

[@Rhonda858]

Can I ask you a question I have a room that is 533 sq ft and I've already purchased enough engineered wood flooring to cover my floor. My question is how much should I expect to have to pay someone to install it glued down over a concrete slab, including removing the carpet that I have already installed in the room? And remove the the baseboards, glue down the flooring and reinstall the base boards im just wondering how much should I expect to pay per sq ft for labor only? I live here in Katy Texas a small town right outside of Houston, idk if my area matters or not for the price? I would really appreciate if anyone could possibly give me an idea on how much is a reasonable price to expect to pay per sq ft or for the whole 533 sq ft job? I have some contractors coming next week to give me some estimates but since I am a woman and I have no idea how is the asking price for labor and I just don't want to be taken advantage of since I'm a single mom of 4 kids...I can't afford to over pay but yet I want someone that has experience doing this type of job that will do it correctly and I understand that good work doesn't come cheap either. Thanks in advance to anyone that can aanswer my questions.

[@jdigity72]

Hi there - I’d be guessing if I gave you a number since I don’t work in the industry. Also, with labor shortage and everything going up ($$$) who knows what someone will charge. A few things you should consider though 1) get at least three quotes and this will give you an idea of average cost 2) get for references of quality of work or photos of recent jobs 3) never pay the complete amount until you are satisfied and the job is done. If you’ve already got all the materials, then this job should only take two guys 2 maybe 3 days to complete.4) don’t work with anyone (if this is possible) who acts like a chauvinist. Lastly, since you watched this video, consider doing it yourself. It’s not difficult, just make sure the slab is sealed.

[@russmhunt]

I'm doing 1300sqft glue down on concrete myself and im going to be in it hopefully under 8k. I'm $4800 on wood @ 3.28 a square Glue is $300 per 4 gallon. Bostik greenforce. # INFLATION

[@ViralAce22]

⁠@@russmhuntI’m in Mississippi and getting ready to install 3/4” unfinished hardwood (select white oak) using Bostik Greenforce-how did your install turn out and did you use 3/4” hardwood?

[@russmhunt]

@ViralAce22 my install turned out great. I ordered some bostik green force locally and every bucket almost was hard. I gambled on Amazon, and every bucket I got off there was perfect and $100 cheaper. Use a new trowel per bucket. The bostik greenforce was super easy to clean up with mineral spirits, even if you miss some, it turns to a rubber and is easily removed. I put enough glue down to do 4 to 5 rows at a time. I'd clean those up and tape it and keep trucking.

[@russmhunt]

@ViralAce22 I used engineered hardwood, it's the same process. I had to use a wood floor block and hammer to get a lot of the boards together tight. Have plenty of rags and mineral spirits when you start

[@mikeharris6706]

Justin, Thanks for the great video. I'm planning the same in south Mississippi. Engineered wood is compressed big time and is very hard. I theorize that an engineered wood has less cushion when glued to a slab vs real wood. Because real wood isn't compressed, its just... itself. Plus real wood is 3/4" thick vs the 1/2" or 3/8" of engineered wood. I do like the pre-finished because I think sealing top and bottom is the way to go AND the commercial companies get an AlumOx coating. I don't know if the is a DIY AlumOx coating available. Thanks again, Mike in Mississippi

[@mezmur6614]

So Justin and problems so far? Most every wood installers tell us that we should not apply solid hardwood on glue. They all promote the engineered hard wood floors. It was encouraging to see yours. We know that it could be done but there is only one company so far that will do it. We might go with them since we want solid hard wood floor. I hope you respond to this so we know. We are in Texas where there is humidity.

[@JuliusBlitzy]

did you get to do it? and you had any problem? I am in texas too.

[@jordanxfile]

Hello, I am aware it has been 2 years since your comment, but I wanted to write anyway :) As you can imagine, in Europe there are many older homes, apartments. Many of these older homes have parquet flooring, which is solid wood stuck directly on concrete subfloor. These floors remain intact, provided that they are taken care of. My apartment was built in the 60s and has parquet flooring installed directly on concrete. The floor is in excellent condition, I refinished it last year, due to the surface being a bit scratched, but there is no popping, warping or cupping whatsoever. The wood is beech by the way. Also, I would like to add that, back in those days, there were fewer chemicals/adhesives out there, so most installations were done with traditional supplies. I don't think they had concrete sealers or double component polyurethane adhesives, but even so, the floors are in perfect condition. The only thing is, solid wood does tend to expand and contract. Thus, there can be some narrow gaps between floorboards. However, when parquet guys refinish floors, they collect the fine sanding dust and mix it with the stain of your choice, or the varnish and make a paste to fill in the gaps. Then they sand it once again, then varnish it. The gaps are never wide enough to bother one though; in fact I think they add to the charm of having a solid wood floor. In my opinion, what people need to know, is that the wood needs to be kiln dried and also impregnated with a special chemical, to prevent rotting or wood eating bug infestations. I hope this helps you and possibly others :)

[@mezmur6614]

Thank you

[@Vefyoutubecensorfutub]

good video. Thanks