Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - Cracks in concrete slab below floating floor

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mattcleveland
02-14-07, 09:30 PM
I am prepping to install a click-together, engineered Bamboo floating floor, and part of it will be on concrete. While removing the carpet and prepping, I have found that there are a couple of cracks in the slab. The cracks are several feet in length, but no wider than a quarter at any point. The house is 20 years old, and I am assuming that some cracking in a slab foundation is inevitable in a house that is old enough to have fully settled. I'm guessing most houses on a slab foundation will have some cracking in the slab due to settling, but that it is simply hidden beneath the flooring. Am I correct? Do I need to do anything to close the cracks beyond putting down the normal vapor barrier?

If I wasn't replacing the flooring, then I would have never known they were there, and I have not seen any signs of moisture. I don't know if it is relevant, but the house is a tri-level, and in the crawl space that is under part of the house, the ground is dry as a bone, even during the wettest part of the year.

Thanks,
Matt


Smokey49
02-17-07, 09:16 AM
Sorry no one got to this earlier. Your assessment is correct. In that amount of time, it's safe to assume the slab has done what it's going to do. I think I'd go ahead and fill the cracks just for my own peace of mind, but I wouldn't think it would be required. That's supposed to be one of the advantages of floating floors.