Engineered Wood over concrete in a new build property

[v1nsg]

Hi all,

Need some advice - I`ve brought a new build property and want to lay wooden flooring. Bedrooms are OK as the wood be laid over traditional chipboard as a floating floor.

The ground floor is the issue - the concrete was laid around 6 months ago and the engineered wood flooring will be over this.

Will mositure be an issue if I get the builder to lay a DPM first, then underlay and finally the engineered wood?

Remember, this is engineered wood NOT solid wood which I know is not an option unless the concrete is overlaid with plywood etc.

Thanks all in advance.

 

[mattysupra]

Yes this should be fine but you really should take moister reading of concrete and let dry properly. If 6 months old it should be about right now if not power floated and over 6" deep. Also for future reference you can install solid wood onto concrete base. It is actually incorrect to lay plywood on concrete. Plywood should only be used on top of wooden bases not solid bases. But i would also always advise engineered wood over solid as much more stable.

 

[v1nsg]

Thanks for your advice. I`ll get the builder to take a moisture test and take if from there.

 

[mattysupra]

Should be done with a hygrometer and read less than 75% relative humidity. Most builders don't seem to know how to test concrete for moister. It should not be done with a meter with lights and two pins sticking out of it. These are used to read the moister in wood and only an indicator for concrete. You use them to find possible wet areas in concrete and then you set up the hygrometer test in the area. There are some other tests that can be done but there a bit more complicated or very expensive meters.

 

[v1nsg]

Thanks mattysupra.

Who can carry out this type of test? Do I need to contact a surveyor or can professional floor fitters carry this out?

Any idea how much it will cost?

Thanks

 

[mattysupra]

me!! Any one that knows what they are doing. Try ringing around some flooring firms. If they dont know what your on about you know for future reference that the dont really know what there doing. The only problem you might face is that if they not supplying and fitting your floor they might not be intrested in testing your floor, or they will charge you a couple of hundred quid to do it. To be fair i would not let any one fit a floor for me who does not understand and know how to read the moister in the floor correctly. In my eyes if they dont know the basics they should not be fitting floors. Its like you having driving lessons but the instructor does not know which peddle is the brake peddle. Im thinking of hiring out one of my meters to people on here with instructions on how to install/read. Would you be intrested if i offered this service?

 

[v1nsg]

Hi mattysupra,

Yes. Would be interested in hiring your meter as long as the process is not too complicated !! and i`m not 100% confident with the floor fitters doing this test.

 

[mattysupra]

Thanks mattysupra.

Who can carry out this type of test? Do I need to contact a surveyor or can professional floor fitters carry this out?

Any idea how much it will cost?

Thanks

email me. look in my profile for the address.

 

[v1nsg]

Hey Mattysupra,

Thanks for the offer to hire the moisture test tool but the builder has advised me that he has a flooring contractor to fit the flooring. Contractor looks like he knows what he talking about because he mentioned test to me before I asked him about it. He said he has done it and concrete humidty level is OK.

One final point, the engineered wood is 14mm thick with veneer at 4mm. What underlay do YOU recommend - Timbermate Deratex in the bedrooms (chipboard) and Timbermate Excel on concrete?

Thanks for all your help