Thank you, Joe, for your comprehensive and well-explained video. I am a homeowner who just had engineered wood installed in a room with a slab about two weeks ago. I finally had a chance to walk over it in my socks and I notice in a few areas have "snaps" or "squeaks", which I have found is 'normal' per a lot of online sources. He did open the boxes a few days before to allow the wood to acclimate. I tried to stay out of the way of the installer while he was doing this, so I'm not sure if he did the humidity check, but I did see them "sand" the slab for levelness. The slab is new because the previous slab did not have any rebar - a requirement here in southern California.
Hey there...thanks a TON for this. Going to rip contractor carpet out of my son's house and install engineered floor on slab. I've done a lot of 3/4" on wood framed floors before - never on slaps - so I needed a "tune up" video to get me ready. This was perfect and I thank you sincerely.
I have seen three of these types of videos. Each one says to measure the humidity in the concrete. Not one of the videos tells you what to do with the information. What's the point of telling people to measure this unless you tell them what to do with the information.
Ronald Machisen you check humidity for moisture, when there's too much moisture the wood will start to intake all of that moisture and expand, which will make the wood go up.
I thought exactly the same thing when I watched the video. First what is the max humidity where special steps are required?: Is the max humidity dependent on the type of flooring to lay down? Do it matter what time of year or what the outdoor ambient conditions are when you take your measurement? I have seen links that say you need to install a subfloor for hardwood on concrete which increases the level too much. Hope to hear an answer from someone otherwise this video is useless.
If the RH (relative humidity) is below 85 it is good. If it is above you will need to apply a moisture barrier before installing the floor. But this is just "by rule of thumb". Different manufacturers of Wood flooring and the adhesives may have their own guidelines to go by. This is why he does not go to deeply into this, there is variation. Be sure to read the instructions, they will ALWAYS say what the limit is.
Yeah I was thinking the same thing, so the relative humidity is just a number and what does that number tell you? is there a cut off where you can't install?
A very informative video - if I could make one suggestion - when using power tools of any kind and I refer to the saw, please wear eye protection. As to the concrete slab, in my apartment I am contemplating removing carpet near the main entrance and installing engineered wood flooring what advice would you give to achieve a good result?
Hi. I have a problem. I had brand new cement pored. Than had engineered wood floor installed. And even though renovations were not finished it was covered by a tough cardboard paper all over but the problem is that there are two pieces of woods that have been cut, the cut went over the cardboard. How can i change these two pieces of wood and installing two new ones?
So it's good to just "know" the moisture in the slab. Like you know your slab is 73 % RH. Once you "know" the amount of moisture then just lay the floor. That's good to "Know"
Hi Joe. How do you interpret the RH measurement? Is there a generic limit or is it adhesive dependent? What do you do if the measurement exceeds the limit? Thanks.
Curious to know if you've experienced concrete floors with mastic asphalt adhesive leftovers. Do you need to remove it all or can you sinply apply the Bostik over it and install the engineered wood? Thanks!
If the moisture readings of the slab indicate an issue, there can be steps taken to mitigate the moisture issue ( finding the source ). There are many products on the market now that will help seal the slab: www.cityfloorsupply.com/Product.aspx?item_code=LWPRIMERPU280G25
liked the video, but there was no explanation on the course of action you would take if the humidity was high. The explanation assumed that the humidity was in range. What are the next steps if the humidity is high in your concrete floor? Choose a different type of adhesive, a different type of floor, etc.?? Thanks
Hello Andres, Thank you for watching. IF the slab you are working on exceeds the adhesives RH recommendations there are a couple options. You can go to a different adhesive that allows for higher RH or you can pre-treat the concrete with a vapor barrier system that will stop water vapor emission. To be honest most adhesives including Bostik Greenforce /Axios will handle very high levels of RH, eliminating the need for any pre-treatment.
what happens if there are low spots in the concrete slab? Bought new construction and I can feel areas on the flooring that do not seem to be adhered to the concrete. Was the slab incorrectly prepped?
If there are low spots they are typically taken care of when prepping the concrete. Usually a leveling compound or flash patch is used to correct the issue. Hope this helps!
Thanks for the response, but what happens if the flooring is already installed and you notice areas are not in contact with the concrete. Is there a quick fix, or does the flooring need to be reinstalled?
I hope you can answer a question I have. I installed engineered hardwood floors with Bostik glue a few years ago, now I want to remove a couple of walls in my house. Is there a way to lace in these types of floors where the gaps will be? Thank you for your time.
The Bostik Adhesive will be difficult to remove. It is possible, just time consuming. Once the current boards and adhesive are removed you should be able to "lace" in the new boards.
awesome Joe G. ! thanks you so much this was exactly what i was needing to see. i wonder also who necessary is that core hle testing for RH? how often do you test a concrete subfloor and find out the glue won't work? I'm asking bc i have a lady, single mom, in a situation and needs help (she's poor like me) and i don't have that tool and i can't afford to get one right now. would i be safe in proceeding to help her lay her floor and take the risk? i feel internal conflict. i wanna help, but i don't wanna waste her flooring and time, yet i don't want to not do it out of an unrealistic precaution.
Awesome video! Question - I'm going to be installing engineered hardwoods to my second floor home, subfloor is plywood. Is it recommended to use glue-down or is it ok to just use a moisture barrier/underlayment?
Joe...think this method of installation will work well on the east coast of Florida (7th floor of 8 floor building...CBS construction)...everyone is telling me to float the floor. I'm not loving the idea of a floating floor.
+Bob Jaffe Hello Bob. Thanks for watching. This installation method will work on that type of jobsite. While it is always a good decision to measure the RH of the concrete. Typically above grade slabs like that are not a problem unless they are new. The adhesive used in this installation has a high limit on RH and it also has the benefit of sound deadening. Floating can be an option but the floor could sound hollow and have some bounce if the concrete slab is not flat. Hope this helps.
Let’s say you have a slab that was poured with no vapor barrier under it. You check it in dry summer weather when it hasn’t rained in months, it’s good reading but doesn’t mean when the rain comes in that the humidity level won’t be to high then as the ground gets saturated the concrete will pick it up. So seems this test is in no way fool proof.
While no testing can predict the future, the InSitu test is an ASTM standard used for measuring relative humidity in the slab. If the slab has potential for that great a change we might use an adhesive that has the ability to block a high RH.
+Sam kogan Hello Sam thanks for watching. Not sure why the sound was an issue. It worked for me just a moment ago. Not this is not a "Pergo" style floor. This is real hardwood over a plywood core. Pergo is a laminate.
5:47...is it ok if your wood flooring doesn’t even lay into the adhesive ? Because I’m a little taken back by your “I can’t stress this enough sales pitch”, yet your install is like every other Sally, Dick, and Jane install ! Give it up salesman !
If there adhesive you're using has a moisture barrier property why does it matter what the moisture level is in the concrete? Its just going to get blocked by the adhesive right?
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Thank you, Joe, for your comprehensive and well-explained video. I am a homeowner who just had engineered wood installed in a room with a slab about two weeks ago. I finally had a chance to walk over it in my socks and I notice in a few areas have "snaps" or "squeaks", which I have found is 'normal' per a lot of online sources. He did open the boxes a few days before to allow the wood to acclimate. I tried to stay out of the way of the installer while he was doing this, so I'm not sure if he did the humidity check, but I did see them "sand" the slab for levelness. The slab is new because the previous slab did not have any rebar - a requirement here in southern California.
Never met him, but i'd trust this guy to supervise/install my floor for sure
Hey there...thanks a TON for this. Going to rip contractor carpet out of my son's house and install engineered floor on slab. I've done a lot of 3/4" on wood framed floors before - never on slaps - so I needed a "tune up" video to get me ready. This was perfect and I thank you sincerely.
j.com
.COM j Llewellyn
most useful video of its type I've found
+ivan pulido mora Glad it helped!
Nice vid. You did the humidity/moisture test but did not say what to do if humidity is low or high.
The adhesive has a certain range of moisture tolerance. Your just testing the slab to see if your within that range or not for the adhesive.
This was very helpful. Thank you 💪🏽🇺🇸
Thank you . Great video!..
I have seen three of these types of videos. Each one says to measure the humidity in the concrete. Not one of the videos tells you what to do with the information. What's the point of telling people to measure this unless you tell them what to do with the information.
Ronald Machisen you check humidity for moisture, when there's too much moisture the wood will start to intake all of that moisture and expand, which will make the wood go up.
I'm sure Ronald gets that part. I believe what he wants to know are the steps you would take if the humidity is too high.
I thought exactly the same thing when I watched the video. First what is the max humidity where special steps are required?: Is the max humidity dependent on the type of flooring to lay down? Do it matter what time of year or what the outdoor ambient conditions are when you take your measurement? I have seen links that say you need to install a subfloor for hardwood on concrete which increases the level too much. Hope to hear an answer from someone otherwise this video is useless.
I agree with you about the video being useless if there are no answers as to what you do if moisture is too high.
If the RH (relative humidity) is below 85 it is good. If it is above you will need to apply a moisture barrier before installing the floor. But this is just "by rule of thumb". Different manufacturers of Wood flooring and the adhesives may have their own guidelines to go by. This is why he does not go to deeply into this, there is variation. Be sure to read the instructions, they will ALWAYS say what the limit is.
what are your thoughts on putting down a liquid concrete sealer to completely seal the concrete before putting down any glue?
That saw is a damn dinosaur. My back hurts looking at it.
Do we need to have underlayment over concrete before putting the adhesive and the hardwood?
so what do you do after measuring humidity ? Also, how to level concrete if it needs to be ?
Yeah I was thinking the same thing, so the relative humidity is just a number and what does that number tell you? is there a cut off where you can't install?
A very informative video - if I could make one suggestion - when using power tools of any kind and I refer to the saw, please wear eye protection.
As to the concrete slab, in my apartment I am contemplating removing carpet near the main entrance and installing engineered wood flooring what advice would you give to achieve a good result?
If the slab is over 40 years old do i still need to check humidity
Hi. I have a problem. I had brand new cement pored. Than had engineered wood floor installed. And even though renovations were not finished it was covered by a tough cardboard paper all over but the problem is that there are two pieces of woods that have been cut, the cut went over the cardboard. How can i change these two pieces of wood and installing two new ones?
Very good video. Thanks,
This job is a nightmare glue gets everywhere
So it's good to just "know" the moisture in the slab. Like you know your slab is 73 % RH. Once you "know" the amount of moisture then just lay the floor. That's good to "Know"
Hi Joe. How do you interpret the RH measurement? Is there a generic limit or is it adhesive dependent? What do you do if the measurement exceeds the limit?
Thanks.
Adhesive dependent.
Curious to know if you've experienced concrete floors with mastic asphalt adhesive leftovers. Do you need to remove it all or can you sinply apply the Bostik over it and install the engineered wood? Thanks!
excellent, however, please provide direction as to what should be done once the moisture content is determined. Is there a way to DRY the slab ?
If the moisture readings of the slab indicate an issue, there can be steps taken to mitigate the moisture issue ( finding the source ). There are many products on the market now that will help seal the slab: www.cityfloorsupply.com/Product.aspx?item_code=LWPRIMERPU280G25
How about a 4-6 mill vapor barrier
I see you were installing the floor while you were on top of it, did it not move on you?
lupe santos they were doing it wrong
liked the video, but there was no explanation on the course of action you would take if the humidity was high. The explanation assumed that the humidity was in range. What are the next steps if the humidity is high in your concrete floor? Choose a different type of adhesive, a different type of floor, etc.?? Thanks
Hello Andres,
Thank you for watching. IF the slab you are working on exceeds the adhesives RH recommendations there are a couple options. You can go to a different adhesive that allows for higher RH or you can pre-treat the concrete with
a vapor barrier system that will stop water vapor emission. To be honest most adhesives including Bostik Greenforce /Axios will handle very high levels of RH, eliminating the need for any pre-treatment.
what happens if there are low spots in the concrete slab? Bought new construction and I can feel areas on the flooring that do not seem to be adhered to the concrete. Was the slab incorrectly prepped?
If there are low spots they are typically taken care of when prepping the concrete. Usually a leveling compound or flash patch is used to correct the issue. Hope this helps!
Thanks for the response, but what happens if the flooring is already installed and you notice areas are not in contact with the concrete. Is there a quick fix, or does the flooring need to be reinstalled?
There is a kit that 3M makes which uses epoxy injected through a drilled hole.
I C, thanks for the info..!
Yep!
I hope you can answer a question I have. I installed engineered hardwood floors with Bostik glue a few years ago, now I want to remove a couple of walls in my house. Is there a way to lace in these types of floors where the gaps will be? Thank you for your time.
The Bostik Adhesive will be difficult to remove. It is possible, just time consuming. Once the current boards and adhesive are removed you should be able to "lace" in the new boards.
awesome Joe G. ! thanks you so much this was exactly what i was needing to see. i wonder also who necessary is that core hle testing for RH? how often do you test a concrete subfloor and find out the glue won't work? I'm asking bc i have a lady, single mom, in a situation and needs help (she's poor like me) and i don't have that tool and i can't afford to get one right now. would i be safe in proceeding to help her lay her floor and take the risk? i feel internal conflict. i wanna help, but i don't wanna waste her flooring and time, yet i don't want to not do it out of an unrealistic precaution.
how many minutes did you let dry the glue?
Pablo Gonzales ;;((howto pprepaarre old cement for glue down Hardwoodfloor installation
Joe, great video. Any suggestions for a "round" room?
Thacks.
Cut round ends
Awesome video! Question - I'm going to be installing engineered hardwoods to my second floor home, subfloor is plywood. Is it recommended to use glue-down or is it ok to just use a moisture barrier/underlayment?
underlayment moisture Vapor Barrier is fine with a nail down technique
YakMan NC glued down wood is all ways more strong.
Joe...think this method of installation will work well on the east coast of Florida (7th floor of 8 floor building...CBS construction)...everyone is telling me to float the floor. I'm not loving the idea of a floating floor.
+Bob Jaffe
Hello Bob. Thanks for watching. This installation method will work on that type of jobsite. While it is always a good
decision to measure the RH of the concrete. Typically above grade slabs like that are not a problem unless they are new. The adhesive used in this installation has a high limit on RH and it also has the benefit of sound deadening. Floating can be an option but the floor could sound hollow and have some bounce if the concrete slab is not flat. Hope this helps.
Let’s say you have a slab that was poured with no vapor barrier under it. You check it in dry summer weather when it hasn’t rained in months, it’s good reading but doesn’t mean when the rain comes in that the humidity level won’t be to high then as the ground gets saturated the concrete will pick it up. So seems this test is in no way fool proof.
While no testing can predict the future, the InSitu test is an ASTM standard used for measuring relative humidity in the slab. If the slab has potential for that great a change we might use an adhesive that has the ability to block a high RH.
so how did you remove the rubber hamer marks?
Pablo Gonzales goof off
Always use a ball peen hammer rather than a rubber mallet.
I want do that in India .. If you have any contact ,sand me details.
I honestly didn't have any volume for the video.. since that's engineered wood, is it considered pergo?
+Sam kogan
Hello Sam thanks for watching. Not sure why the sound was an issue. It worked for me just a moment ago. Not this is not a "Pergo" style floor. This is real hardwood over a plywood core. Pergo is a laminate.
holly shit did you guys make any money? That was the slowest gluer I have ever seen 😂
Chad Johnson I don't think so. That's very normal speed worker considering that glue is very sticky so it doesn't move so easy around as you imagine.
where are your knee pads.....i have been wearing knee pad for almost 40 years..no knee issues.....protect your knees fellas
@@ItsEdwinG
5:47...is it ok if your wood flooring doesn’t even lay into the adhesive ?
Because I’m a little taken back by your “I can’t stress this enough sales pitch”, yet your install is like every other Sally, Dick, and Jane install ! Give it up salesman !
If there adhesive you're using has a moisture barrier property why does it matter what the moisture level is in the concrete? Its just going to get blocked by the adhesive right?