Floating floors are very finicky in regard to the subfloor being level. If your existing floor can be removed and reused, and the original contractor is willing to do that, I'd go with that option. Are there other issues that would lead you to choose a different contractor? If his original price included leveling, or if he was responsible to provide a slab within generally acceptable architectural standards, this should be done at no additional cost to you. If his original price excluded leveling, it wouldn't be out of line for him to charge you a fair price to fix the inconsistencies in the subfloor. It's not fair for anyone to do something they don't charge you for. Even if he glues the floor down, the subfloor issues should be addressed first. If you decide to have someone do a new floor, you need to ensure they know what to do and that they charge you sufficiently to do the leveling needed to fill in low spots and/or grind high spots, so it doesn't bounce (again).

Hello to everybody still following along with this! We finally did get the inspection report back - it was a very through, detailed report. To make a long story short, the inspector found issues with everything: installation of the floors/railings/balusters, staining, the flooring product itself, etc. He addressed every concern that we had, and even found additional issues. I shared the inspection report with the flooring company who installed the floors and stairs, and they have agreed to remove and replace everything. Once we gave them the inspection report, the flooring company has been really great about wanting to make everything right, and making sure that we get a really nice floor/staircase/railing system. They assured us that not a single person who worked on our project initially will be working on it this time. In fact, all of the people who originally worked on our project were either let go, or left the company on their own. Since there were also so many issues with the flooring product and the gray color, we actually decided to go with a completely different brand, color, and species of wood. Our next step is to decide on a schedule for the work - so I'm sure it'll be a while until everything is completed. Thank you to everybody who commented on this thread with your ideas, suggestions, and comments!!!

The concrete in S. Texas will dictate what adhesive you use. The flooring manufacturer will determine what adhesive you use. An old slab (from the mid-90's or older) will have moisture issues. That's an assumption your installer will have to make before doing the proper testing. A new(er) slab may not have moisture issues....but it might. Again, the assumption is 'wet slab' until proven otherwise. Proper testing is a must. I prefer the indwelling probes over the Calcium chloride test. Not all installers have that in their tool kit. Now that the slab has been tested and the numbers for TODAY (they could be different tomorrow...and once flooring is on top they will change AGAIN) then an adhesive can be chosen from the FLOORING manufacturers recommended list (some have a list...other's don't...you will need to know if that list exists before allowing an adhesive purchase by the installer). As for the length of TIME it takes to glue down a wood floor, that is up to the size of the install, how complicated the cuts are and the installer's method (one guy = much more time than 4 guys). What type of house to you have? Is it a new build? If not, how old is the house and what is the flooring being removed for the hardwood to go in?

Came across this thread and hope I can get some advice. I’m dealing with a situation like Kay L - dated engineered hardwood that is glued on the slab in the downstairs living areas. We would like to have all the downstairs flooring the same (except for bathroom). We also want new matching floor on stairs and second level, like Candri. My husband wants to diy the downstairs with floating engineered hardwood on top as he thinks this option eliminates the problem of potential moisture/mold issues from a glued EH floor or waterproof LVP (my preference). I am super hesitant to undertake this project. #1 The cost of covering up all that perfectly beautiful, albeit dated, wood. #2 Floating floors sound hollow when you walk on them. #3 Covering the tile kitchen floor with wood increases risk of water damage, which is why I would prefer LVP. (We had a busted pipe in the bathroom 11 years ago that ruined carpet and led us to installing our current floor.) We haven’t considered gluing down new EH over the existing glued down EH. I read somewhere that glue over the finished wood can cause problems. Not sure if nailing is an option since the base is concrete. There is NO WAY we will take up the current glued EH. We’ve seen YouTube videos, and trying to get up 900 sq ft of glued down EH would take forever and create more mess than I want to deal with. Any thoughts???