Can you lay floorboards over concrete?

[Gekman]

Hi all, 

I'm looking to convert my garage into a second lounge room and would dearly appreciate some advice re flooring. The current floor in the garage is plain concrete, and I'd like to match as close as I can to the floorboards in the rest of the house (see picture). Is setting floorboards over concrete feasible or must I simply go the floating floor route? If the latter which type would best suit to match the my other floorboards and look and feel as real wood as possible? Many thanks in advance! 

 

[EricL · Accepted solution]

Hello @Gekman

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's wonderful to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about putting flooring in your garage.

Is it possible to put timber floorboards directly over concrete? While you can install timber flooring directly on top of your concrete surface, it isn't advisable. Concrete is porous and soaks up moisture, leading to vapour damage on your timber floorboards. The same thing will happen if you put in ordinary timber-based floating floor panels.

The best flooring to put in is Hybrid Waterproof Flooring. They have the same installation system as floating floors but are made of non-organic material. They are totally waterproof and are usually used in high moisture areas such as bathrooms and laundries. They have a wide range of timber finishes to choose from. I suggest visiting your local store and seeing which one has the same finish as your timber flooring at home. 

To prevent moisture from passing through the joints of the hybrid flooring panel, I suggest putting down Grunt 2 x 20m Black 200um Ultra Tough Plastic Film. Make sure to overlap the plastic over each other and tape the joins to prevent movement.

Let me tag our experienced members @TedBear and @tom_builds for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Gekman]

Thanks very much, Eric! Appreciate you taking the time to advise! 

[suzanna]

Hi Erik I’m really interested in solving backache from working on a concrete floor. Can you please advise whether the hybrid flooring you recommend is as soft underfoot as is wooden floorboards ? Would the flooring have to be installed up to the edges of the room? ( wondering about having to remove bookshelves, etc). Thanks for your advice. 

[JacobZ]

Hi @suzanna,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

Concrete floors are very hard and unforgiving, which is why standing on them for long periods often leads to back and leg pain. Hybrid flooring is a clear improvement in this situation because most hybrid products include a rubber or acoustic backing. This backing provides a small amount of cushioning and shock absorption, making it noticeably more comfortable underfoot than bare concrete, even though it is still a firm surface.

There will be slight differences in feel between hybrid flooring and timber floorboards, but in practical terms, the difference is not large. Timber has a natural warmth and a small amount of flex, while hybrid flooring feels a little more uniform and stable. For most people, hybrid flooring provides a very similar level of comfort underfoot, particularly when using a quality product with a good backing layer.

Hybrid flooring is normally installed right up to the walls, with a small expansion gap left around the perimeter to allow for natural movement. This gap is standard for floating floors and is later covered with trims such as scotia or quad, so the finished look is clean.

In saying this, there may be alternative options to work around your bookshelves if moving them is not an option, but I would have to see what you are working with to advise. If you had some photos you could upload, I could certainly have a look and advise. Let me know if you need a hand with this.

Jacob

[suzanna]

HI Jacob, fantastic! Thanks for your careful and caring reply. What a fantastic service! I really appreciate it. I will be able to upload some photos tomorrow. I need to optimise comfort above cost and convenience in this situation. More tomorrow. Have a great afternoon! Suzanna