I want to lay reclaimed pine floorboards over a newly laid concrete floor in a kitchen. Height from top of concrete to finished top of floorboards is 80mm. Boards are 20mm thick x 175 wide.
I could use 60mm battens screwed to the concrete. But I'd like to avoid this battening work by laying a floating floor consisting of 40 Celotex boarding, with 18mm plywood board on top and the nailing the floorboards to the ply-board. Can I use this construction? Advice please.
Best Answer
it does greatly depend on climate, but if this is a slab on grade or a basement slab, you will have issues with wood warpage and expansion cracking from water permeation through the slab, no matter how much of a vapour barrier you install. you will have to seal the slab with a urethane slab sealer first. then you can put in drycore or any other type of ventilated subfloor.
also, you may want to consider that reclaimed pine, although lovely, is one of the worst materials for a kitchen floor. its too soft and too porous for even sporadic exposure to water. its a terrible wear surface as well.