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We're going to get new floors.

Hardwood is what I want, but not economically practical considering I have a concrete slab...

Thus, we're looking into either Engineered Wood, Laminate or Bamboo.

Anyone here have personal experience with any or all of these flooring options and what to avoid?

Or recommend?

Thanks!

Abraham wrote:Hardwood is what I want, but not economically practical considering I have a concrete slab..

A concrete slab doesn't automatically disqualify you from real hardwood floors. Put a plywood subfloor down first and then the wood boards over top of that. A moisture barrier is recommended.

I have hardwood over a slab and no problems. A moisture barrier is recommended for sure. However, if you have a slab that is sweating though, you have bigger issues that need to be addressed before putting ANY kind of floor covering down.

You really need under-layment with laminate on a slab, not only for some moisture protection, but it will be really noisy if you don't!

Forgot to add that the laminates of today are really good and have a great lifespan. They also are hard to distinguish form real wood if you get the good stuff. My in-laws have some of the earlier Pergo brand in their family room. It has been down about 10 years and shows no wear at all.

We have engineered hardwood on a concrete slab. You can't tell the difference between solid and engineering as far as appearance. The real thing (engineered or solid) looks better than laminate in my opinion. It has a 'character' laminate just doesn't match. Engineered is more stable, less prone to warpage than solid. It does have a thin (~1/8") layer of 'finished' wood on the top surface vs typical 3/4" for solid. However most engineered woods are guaranteed for 3 or so professional resandings, which you will never need if you don't wear through the finish. Refinishing was about 10% the cost of new floors when we checked and would only be needed every 10-20 years depending on the quality you originally purchased. We have had ours for 8 years and they still look great. I expect we will refinish in 3-5 years. The bottom line, refinish every decade or so and it will last your lifetime. Of course solid would need refinishing as well so that is a wash when comparing engineered vs solid.

Engineered floors are a good choice if you covering a large area or have mutiple transitions and staircases. Some of the engineeered floors come with 30yr warranties and longer.

The thickneess of real wood floors nailed to tongue and groove underlayment can make it more difficult for a clean install where fireplace, tile and staircases are met. It can leave you with some pretty high and sometimes awkward transitions both on the flooring and the baseboards.

Some installers are gluing hardwood right to the slab to eliminate the extra thickness. I am not fond of this idea, but several people I know have done this and some very reputable contractors are offering it.

I put down laminate a few years ago and have been very happy with it. It took some damage during the storm, but did better than hardwood would have IMO.

Jason

I Glued the Bamboo directly onto the concrete slab. I used the expencive glue that they recommended. It went down pretty easy, although I did most of it myself Its alot easier with 2 people. 2 things to remember prep the floor before you start, make sure dips and bows are leveled ..I used leveling cement. Avoid working from the glued down floor side as much as possible so you won't be stepping on fresh laid floor.

My floor buckled a little bit after it had 4 feet of salt water on it for a while, Ipulled up all the flooring a couple weeks ago but I plan on putting bamboo back again.. It really holds up well and looks good. I laid down the 5/8 inch thick wood and you don't have the feeling on your joints that you are walking directly on concrete like Older folks like me feel when they walk on 1/4 laminate.

Very interesting. I would like to put down a laminate/bamboo/engineered floor in the den of a D/W. Any suggestions on which to use? Any special considerations do to it being a D/W?

Dave B.

bauerdj wrote:Very interesting. I would like to put down a laminate/bamboo/engineered floor in the den of a D/W. Any suggestions on which to use? Any special considerations do to it being a D/W?

Dave B.

What is a D/W ?

Double Wide Trailer

I did about 500 sq ft with Harris Tarkett engineered flooring (recommended to me by someone who puts down floors for a living). Pre-glued tongue and groove is the best way to go for a DIY. An 80-tooth carbide blade is a must for smooth cuts. Use masking tape on all your cuts to prevent splintering. If laying on concrete, a moisture barrier is a must. You'll want to "float" your floor on foam as well, unless your foundation is perfectly smooth with no dips or ridges (and I've yet to see one of those!).

We laid down a test floor with laminate in one of our closets, and did not like the "echo" that is characteristic of laminate flooring. The bamboo floors we've seen look and sound terrific...if I had it to do over again, I'd go with bamboo.

Liberty wrote:What is a D/W ?

Doublewide?

Just a note that bamboo flooring doesn't do very well in high-humidity conditions.

Choose carefully. Read everything carefully. Don't sign away your new floor without due consideration.

I want to express my thanks to all of you for your input.

We've finally made a decision and will go with a high quality laminate flooring by Mannington.

This stuff has a hand scraped, beveled edge, highly textured surface, hickory wood look with lots of character i.e., knot holes and a random grained appearance. We'll have the highest quality padding under it and this should, at least to some extent, ameliorate that hollow, reverberating quality found on so many laminate floors.