LVP floating over existing engineered hardwood?

3 years ago

We just received our Provenza LVP and plan to have it installed soon. Our installer said they have laid over existing engineered hardwood glued to concrete slab. I just opened a box and read the manufacturers instructions and in one section they mentioned not to install over engineered or hardwood glued to concrete. Has anyone laid LVP floating over engineered or hardwood on concrete? Should I be concerned?

It will cost a fortune to rip up the engineered wood and glue, and not something I’d want to do myself. We don’t plan on staying here much longer than 5 more years, but I don’t want to leave a headache for the future owners either.

Thank you!

Featured Answer

SJ McCarthy

3 years ago

Please do NOT install over hardwood. I don't care if it is glued down over concrete or nailed to plywood. Vinyl and wood FINISHES do NOT work together. In fact the chemical transfer (and this is the LEAST of your worries!!! ahem!) from the wood finish to the vinyl is almost 100% guaranteed. That chemical transfer = heavy staining of the vinyl. And heavy damage to the wood floors underneath. Which renders BOTH floors unusable. And if the new owner finds out about the damage to BOTH inside of a year (or two...depends on your State's liability laws) you will STILL be on the hook for the damage/removal/replacement.

The BIGGEST issue is NOT the staining - when dealing with glue-down hardwood over concrete. The BIGGEST issue is moisture damage and mold/mildew contamination.

Concrete breathes and gives off moisture. The adhesive used to glue the wood is a moisture barrier but it never really 'cures'. It stays flexible. When you put vinyl over the wood you CAP the moisture. You TRAP it. That bit of moisture in the GLUE then soaks into the wood...that wood stays soaked and NOW you have huge amounts of mold growth. The chemical staining of the vinyl then SPEEDS UP. Instead of taking 5 years to stain the vinyl (over plywood subfloor) the soaked wood causes the chemical staining to occur in 1-3 years.

That's when you pull up your vinyl to find the soaking, molding, useless mess. Now you have to do it all over again but this time with MOLD REMEDIATION costs added in!

It's your call. But the installation instructions clearly state not to do it. They don't do this to p!ss off customers or to cost the homeowner more money. They do this to PREVENT irritation and to PREVENT greater costs later on.

You wanted vinyl. You currently have hardwood. You will need to pay the piper to get this done properly. Of course if you used laminate you wouldn't have this issue. You could have run the laminate right over top of the hardwood without issue....just sayin'.

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Comments (9)

millworkman
3 years ago
"read the manufacturers instructions and in one section they mentioned not to install over engineered or hardwood glued to concrete. "

Is the installer willing to give you the product warranty because the floor manufacturer obviously will not?
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Ana Ivies
3 years ago
I have been told by at least 5 places that you can not install over glue-down engineered hardwood.
bamamom
3 years ago
WOW!!!!! We just had LVP laid over two rooms of engineered flooring for the exact reason of cheaper that pulling the wood up. Major pipe issues under a slab, so all the tile out and one room with wood had to be cut oit and a trench dug right through the middle. So, of course we couldn’t match the wood and was recommended to go lvp and lay on top of the wood and have plywood laid over the concrete to make running the lvp level through the house.
I’ve had issues since it was being installed and yes one section of plywood pulled up and new installed because there was mold already after a month of being installed. They came out to secure the plywood more and fix an area that had a bubble about the size of a beach ball in the lvp. I hate this floor!
SJ McCarthy
3 years ago
The slab is the issue AS WELL AS the vinyl sitting on wood (engineered or plywood over slab).

I'm sorry but you have to rip up everything, fix the major issue (wet slab) and then put down new flooring.

If the slab is still wet (age and leaks can add to one another...it doesn't have to be an 'either-or' situation) then you have to fix the problem. And water is ALWAYS a problem.
Alan Boden - McKinney/Plano, TX
2 years ago
Crazy that some major installers are still saying this is an ok practice.

This is also going to start to be an issue with the new "waterproof laminates"

basically anything that traps the moisture is going to destroy that hardwood floor, and feed the mold.
HU-493591180
last year
Not sure when this was written. The info I received from the Mfg. on the LTV and the engineered glue down is the the engineered must come up. Reason being that with the LTV the sub floor and engineered will not be able to breath, therefore over time the glue will deteriorate and the eng. flooring will break loose and warp and the LTV buckle u[p. I am looking for a 2nd opinion.
Michele Rachel
last year
We just had LVP installed over engineered hardwood 3 months ago and it has already started buckling in one room. After having it pulled up in there, we found the engineered hardwood buckling and separating (from trapped moisture we didn’t even know existed from the concrete slab underneath), causing the LVP to buckle. No one told us not to have it installed over hardwood, quite the opposite. we initially planned to rip up the original flooring, but the engineered hardwood was so incredibly hard to rip up that we opted to leave it in place. In addition, we weren’t even told not to use the moisture barrier. We are so frustrated right now. So much time and money down the drain. We are now moved into the house and being told it all needs to come up, hardwood ripped out and LVP reinstalled. Feeling quite frustrated and defeated with this. Believe these reviews. DO NOT put LVP over engineered hardwood. You will be sorry!
islandfloorsltd
last year
All concrete contains some level of moisture. Covering the floor up keeps the existing floor from breathing causing not only the floor to fail but mold and mild to form. This is also true with damp crawl spaces. Some people are saying that using a 6mil plastic over the existing will help. NOT true this only enhances the issues. If installing product like this, you should always contact the manufacture technical support. Sorry for your lose.

LVP floating over existing engineered hardwood?

SJ McCarthy

Comments (9)

millworkman

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