How to Apply Hardwood Flooring to Concrete

Hardwood flooring normally is nailed down over a plywood subfloor, but there are other ways to install it. Some hardwood flooring can be glued down, which allows installation over a concrete base, warming-up the look of a basement rec-room. Not all wood flooring can be installed in this manner, so make sure you have flooring that can. The concrete needs to be flat, unbroken and free of any moisture issues before you start.

Things You'll Need

• Wood floor adhesive
• Notched adhesive trowel
• Hardwood flooring (approved for glue-down installation)
• Half-inch spacers
• Miter saw
• Table saw

Instructions

1. Spread a layer of floor adhesive with your adhesive trowel along the edge of the floor where you want to start the flooring. Don't start along the wall where the door is. Spread the adhesive from end to end along that side of the floor, coming out about 3 feet from the wall.

2. Press the starting course of floor boards into the adhesive next to the wall, with the grooved sides of the boards facing the wall. Connect the planks end to end by their tongue and groove milling. Put spacers between the boards and the wall, to make a half-inch space there that will allow for movement of the wood.

3. Lay boards all along the edge, cutting the last one on a miter saw to fit against the side wall.

4. Install the second course next to the first, linking the edges of the boards tightly together. Stagger the ends of the boards between the two courses. Cut the final board as needed.

5. Repeat the process for each course, working your way across the room. Continue until you run out of room to work near the other side of the room. Let the adhesive set overnight.

6. Install the flooring in the final section the next day (so you can stand on the first section while you work). Cut the boards of the last course along their lengths so they fit by the wall with a half-inch gap there. Floor trim will cover the gaps.

References

• Hardwood Installer website: Glued Floors.