Installing Wood Flooring Over Concrete

Updated: Jun. 30, 2023

Install a wood base, then the finish flooring.

FH03DJA_WOFLCO_01-2Family Handyman
You can install a wood plank floor over concrete if you first install a layer of 3/4-in. plywood. We show you the best way to do it.

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Time
Multiple Days
Complexity
Intermediate
Cost
$101–250

How to install a wood plank floor over concrete

Wood floor over concrete details

Lay a plastic moisture barrier and then screw 3/4-in. plywood to the concrete. Nail the 3/4-in. wood planks to the plywood.

If you love solid wood floors and your home rests on a concrete slab, you’re not out of luck. But it’s considerably more difficult to install a 3/4-in. wood floor over concrete than over a wood subfloor. You’ll first have to install 3/4-in. thick wood underlayment. The combination of the underlayment and flooring raises the height of the floor 1-1/2 in., so be sure the extra height doesn’t create problems around cabinets, in doorways or at transitions to other types of flooring.

Also, be absolutely sure that the concrete doesn’t get damp because of exterior water problems.

Lay 6-mil polyethylene sheeting over the concrete to minimize moisture migration from the concrete up into the wood flooring. Then fasten 3/4-in. treated plywood to the concrete with concrete screws spaced every 16 in. Alternatively, screw rows of treated 1x4s to the concrete 16 in. on center. Lay the 1x4s perpendicular to the direction you intend to install the floor planks.

Then nail the flooring planks with a standard flooring nailer (see photo for details).

Tip: If the 1-1/2 in. height change is too much, consider laying a laminated wood floor instead. It will add less than 3/4 in. of height. You can either glue it down or float it (the edges are either glued or snapped together).