How to Install Wood Floors Over Stone
Installing wood flooring over stone requires the glue-down method of installation. This method of installing wood flooring can be used on almost any sub-floor. The glue-down method is recommended for engineered hardwood flooring, and not solid hardwoods. Engineered wood flooring has come a long way in the last few years. It is now nearly impossible to tell the difference from solid and engineered hardwood floors once installed. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Chalk line
- Miter saw
- Notched trowel
- Tap block
- Rubber mallet
Instructions
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1
Store your flooring inside the house for a few days before installation. This will allows the floor to acclimatize to the house's humidity level.
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2
Carefully remove any baseboard in the room and save it.
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3
Vacuum the stone floor to remove any debris. Clean the stone with a pH-balanced cleaner to remove any dirt, cleaners, waxes or oils from the stone.
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4
Use a carpenters level to check the stone to see that the floor is level. The maximum variation in the floor is 1/8-inch in 10 feet, or 1/8-inch between tiles. If the floor is not level you need to use a leveling compound to level the floor before proceeding to the next step. Leveling compound is available at your local lumber yard. Follow the directions on the label for application.
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5
Decide what direction you want the flooring to run. Pick an exterior wall that runs in the same direction. Measure the width of two pieces of the engineered hardwood flooring that have been snapped together. Mark this dimension plus 1/8-inch at each end of the wall on the stone. Snap a chalk line between the two marks to provide you with a reference line to start the flooring installation.
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6
Lay out two rows of flooring using the chalk line as a starting point and work toward the wall. Make any needed cuts during this dry fit of the flooring. A miter saw works well for this task. You will end up with a 1/8-inch gap between the floor and the wall for expansion. When assembling the floor make sure to stagger all end joints so that no two pieces of flooring break at the same point.
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7
Carefully slide the two rows of assembled flooring that you dry fitted together toward yourself so that you have room to apply the adhesive to the stone. Use a notched trowel to spread a layer of adhesive between your reference line and the wall.
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8
Reassemble the floor in the same order on the adhesive one piece at a time. Use a tap block, a 6-inch piece of scrap material, and a rubber mallet to tap the pieces together for a tight joint. Wipe off any adhesive that gets on the flooring as you go. Refer to the adhesive label for recommended cleaning procedures.
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9
Use painters tape to help keep the joints tight between rows of flooring. Place the tape at 90 degrees to the flooring every 12 inches, attaching only two rows at a time. The next row attaches in the same manner, but stagger the tape between the tape from the previous row.
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10
Let the flooring set for at least one hour before proceeding so that you have a stable base to work from. Check the adhesive label to verify the set-up time for your specific adhesive.
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11
Dry fit four more rows of flooring, making any required cuts during the dry fit. Mark the stone at each end of the rows of flooring. Carefully slide the dry fit rows of flooring toward you and chalk a line between your marks. This provides you a reference line to spread the adhesive to.
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12
Repeat step number 8.
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13
Continue repeating steps 11 and 12 until you have completed flooring the room.
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14
Refer to the adhesive label for specific time the adhesive needs to dry before you can walk on the flooring.
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15
Use the baseboard that you saved and carefully install it again in the order that you removed it.
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Tips & Warnings
Refer to the adhesive label for specific directions.
Read warning label on adhesive for specific safety precautions for application.
