Can Bamboo Wood Flooring be Installed Over Concrete?

Installing a bamboo wood floor can be a unique way to improve your home or office but one question that gets asked often is can it be installed on a concrete slab? The answer to that question is yes, however, there are some prerequisites that must be addressed before going any further. For starters is the floor cured? What about moisture content and which style of hardwood flooring to install? The following tips should help you with these questions.

Curing

Concrete is an architectural wonder. It is reported that the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians used a rudimentary type of cement. Although greatly improved through the ages one ingredient has remained key in making it: water. Once cement is poured it must set up or cure which is the slow natural process of hardening and removing excess moisture. If your office, living room or basement has just been recently been built then you might want to wait a while before installing anything over it. Although many places allow construction within a week of laying to start putting up framework you will want to wait about a month or longer before putting wood flooring on top of it.

Due to wicking and ground moisture, etc. you will never remove 100% of the excess moisture from concrete. Installers recommend no more than 4% moisture in the cement. You can purchase a calcium chloride test kit that will tell you how much moisture is in your slab. The price of these kits is typically less than $20.

Hardwood flooring is in a dry state but can still absorb water so it is only natural to want as much water out of the concrete. Water can and will damage your flooring by staining and even warping whatever type of hardwood floor you install.

Vapor barrier

Prior to installation you need to put a vapor barrier in place over the cement slab. A poly urethane barrier placed between the slab and the underlayment of about 6 mills or grater is recommended. Overlap seams and seal with an adhesive or tape. This will greatly limit the amount of floor moisture that will reach the bottom of your flooring planks.

Floating floor

Although you could use a glue type floor, you would have to use an adhesive that also acts as a vapor barrier. Weak spots in the barrier can allow moisture to seep in and ruin the floor.

The most recommended kind of flooring is an engineered floating floor. This type is the click type where typically you lock and lightly tap the pieces together. The floor is not attached anywhere but to itself and therefore is called floating. Most of these are treated on front and back of the planks to protect from moisture.

As always read and follow the recommended manufacturers guidelines and instructions when installing flooring as they are all slightly different.

Bamboo flooring can't be beat for its unique beauty and cost. Not only is it a neat and beautiful looking material it is an environmentally conscious way of using flooring as well. Don't let a cement floor stop you from installing one in your home or office.