What should I put down before hardwood goes on a slab?
Put down only the layer the manufacturer names, and only after a moisture test that same product accepts. On many engineered glue-down floors that is an adhesive rated for the reading you got. On some floating floors it is a specific underlayment. Red rosin paper, felt, and a roll of plastic from a big-box aisle are not a style choice.
The wrong sheet can trap moisture or keep a glue-down floor from bonding. Start with flat and dry. High spots get ground. Low spots get a patch rated for flooring, not a skim of joint compound that crumbles. A floor that bridges dips sounds hollow and moves underfoot. The broader fastening choices are on the installation page.
Can solid hardwood go on a concrete slab?
Usually no, especially on a ground-level or below-grade slab. Solid wood takes moisture from underneath and moves across its width. Engineered hardwood is the product built for slabs, and only inside the moisture limit on its data sheet. A sleeper or plywood deck over the slab is a height change at every door and stair.
Ask which warranty allows that assembly before anyone builds it. Basements in the Tennessee Valley are a cautious place even for engineered wood. Efflorescence, a damp smell, or a sump that runs all summer means fix the water first. Sanding or covering a wet slab hides the problem until the floor buckles.
How do you test a slab for moisture?
Relative humidity probes, calcium chloride tests, and pin meters are different tests with different pass numbers. The flooring you are buying names which test and which number. If the slab fails, the choices are to wait, to use a mitigation system that product allows, or to pick a different floor.
Installing anyway is how a failure shows up after the furniture is back. A Huntsville house that sat with the air off through a humid July can read differently from the same slab in January. Test in the conditions you live with. Acclimation of the flooring itself, once the slab passes, is covered on the installation page.
Does a new floor need a Huntsville building permit?
The City of Huntsville inspections FAQ says a building permit is required if materials and labor exceed $250 or if any structural work is involved, and that painting, wallpapering, fencing, and floor covering are exempt. That is what the city page says.
Whether your job counts as floor covering or as structural work is a question for the Inspection Department at 256-427-5331, not a conclusion this site draws. Source: Inspections FAQ, City of Huntsville. Madison is a different city, and houses outside Huntsville’s limits are a different office. The Madison page explains why this site does not copy Huntsville’s sentence onto a Madison address. This is general information, not a permit approval.
What does the quote need to list for a slab?
The product, the wear-layer thickness, the test method, the adhesive or underlayment, furniture, transitions, and any door trimming because the floor got thicker. A per-foot number without those lines is not comparable. Local slab prices are unpublished. Use the cost guide to see what the national project average is not, then ask for a measure or call (256) 440-7100.
Questions on this page
What should I put down before installing hardwood on a slab?
The vapor retarder or adhesive the flooring warranty names, after the moisture test that warranty requires. A generic plastic sheet is not automatically the right layer.
Do I need a City of Huntsville permit to install a floor?
The city's inspections FAQ says painting, wallpapering, fencing, and floor covering are exempt from permitting, and that a building permit is required when materials and labor exceed $250 or any structural work is involved. Confirm your job with the Inspection Department at 256-427-5331.