How To Prepare A Cracked Slab For Wood Flooring

Because of the grain orientation in the slab grain lines that radiate out from the center cracking and splitting is the real issue when curing slabs.

How to prepare a cracked slab for wood flooring.

To test there are several options including moisture meters poly film tests and phenolphthalein tests. Dips bulges and cracks occur. Check for cracks and crumbling. Thanks for teaching me more about preparing my concrete for some hardwood installation.

As you mentioned you should look into the condition of the concrete slab that is underneath and make sure that there are no cracks spalling or curling at expansion joints. First test the moisture content of the slab to make sure it s ready for wood flooring installation. Ensuring that the cracks are completely clean before repair is key to ensuring that the repair work will hold. Today i received several photographs of a large crack that developed under a hardwood floor in a slab on grade application.

If you don t have enough to fill the entire crack simply make more. Use a chisel and hammer to undercut the crack meaning that you cut it into an inverted v shape so that the base is at least 1 inch wider than the top of the crack which will ensure that the patching compound has a solid place to flow and bond establishing a stronger hold. How to put down flooring on a cracked concrete slab. If any indicate moisture use a calcium chloride test.

On the other hand if the slab has natural edges checks also known simply as cracks bark inclusions areas where the surface of the slab is bark tissue rather than wood and even voids then there are added details to deal with. Spoon the mixture into the crack. The home owner consulted several contractors and engineers to solve the problem. On the one hand slabs are just thicker pieces of wood and are finished using exactly the same techniques that woodworkers have been using forever.

Use a needle to pop any bubbles that appear when pouring the epoxy. Most of it will flow down to the bottom. Push it as far into the crack as possible. Transfer the epoxy to the crack using the stirring spoon or stick.

Michael robinson january 11 2018 at 6 21 pm. Dimensional boards with their long parallel patterns won t crack like round slab lumber with its short grain lines. Never install over a slab that s less than 30 days old. Acclimating new flooring to the room bring the flooring into the room so the wood planks can acclimate to the room s temperature and humidity for up to 72 hours before installation follow the manufacturer s instructions.