How to Prepare a Slab Floor for Floating Hardwood

A floating hardwood floor isn't nailed or glued to a subfloor; rather a floating hardwood floor just sits on top of the subfloor. This makes it especially easy to lay, since you don't have to have a surface that will hold nails or glue. However, if the surface has dips, holes or cracks, they will interfere with the lay of the floating floor. If you're laying a floating floor over a concrete slab and the concrete is uneven, a liquid floor leveler will solve the problem.

Bucket
Floor cleanser
Scrub brush
Mop
Straight 2-by-4 (4 to 5 feet long)
Pencil
Floor leveler
Drill with mixing bar

Instructions

- 1
  Get the floor very clean, scrubbing it with floor cleanser and a scrub brush. Mop-rinse it. Let it dry for 24 hours.
- 2
  Set your 2-by-4 on its narrow edge at one side of the room. Move it slowly over the floor, looking for gaps along the bottom of the 2-by-4 that indicate low spots. Mark around the low spots with your pencil. Do this over the whole floor.
- 3
  Pour 2 inches of water into the bucket. Add the ratio of floor-lever powder called for on the package (4 parts power to 1 part water is typical).
- 4
  Mix well with the drill and mixing bar, getting the leveler to a thin, watery compound.
- 5
  Pour leveler over the low areas that you marked, starting at the far corner of the room from the doorway and working your way out. Fill any visible gaps or holes as well.
- 6
  Let the leveler set for 12 hours. The floor is now ready for floating floor installation.

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