If you need to put in new hardwood flooring or replace the old slats then there are some options to consider. Especially, if you want to put hardwood floors on top of concrete flooring. There are some benefits to this but you’ll need to be careful during the preparatory stage.
If you want to use genuine hardwood flooring keep in mind real wood will expand and contract with the ebbs and flows of moisture content in the air and temperature of the room. When installing hardwood flooring on top of concrete flooring make sure there is a moisture barrier between the two. Many times a thick sheet of plastic will be sufficient. However, if you are going to go this route then you’ll probably need to put some type of subflooring on top of the plastic to raise it up enough to meet the edge of the dry walling.
Most likely you’ll need to install at least a 3/4-in. underlay that can be traditional sub flooring wood slats or a specific type of styro-foam underlay. One of the great things about putting your hardwood over concrete is that very often the concrete will be very flat which is of the utmost importance. Additionally, you’ll need to make sure the concrete is perfectly dry before you install the subflooring.
You may want to consider manufactured wood flooring as well since these slats are a made of a composite material that is very resistant to warping and fading. They look almost like the real thing and usually only an expert eye can tell the difference.
Another advantage to putting hardwood floors over concrete flooring is being able to have the choice between permanently gluing down the slats or “floating” them. The term floating means the floor slats click into place. This means there will be more give to the floor once it’s finished, but you’ll also have the added advantage of being able to replace and repair individual slats quite easily.
Ultimately, you want to make sure the floor slats are installed correctly. The intention is to have them there and looking beautiful for many years to come. Putting them in properly the first time will be of great benefit to you and the future owners of the house, not to mention the added value to the property.