"Joey" wrote in
et:

Im am going to put a new wood floor in our bedroom. It is the type
where you lay and underlayment and then the floor fits on top. We
have concrete under. I am going to find someone who knows how to do
it to help me with it. As I prepare it I have some questions. While
pulling up the wood strips that holds down the carpet there are some
nails in the concrete. How do I deal with them? A couple came out
but left little chips or nicks. I am assuming that wont be a
problem, but how do I deal with all those little nail heads sticking
up? Second, some parts of the concrete are cracked. Not giant cracks
but some are about 1/8th inch. Should I fill them with a filler and
what kind of filler? I think ants may come in those cracks but I may
be wrong. Thanks for any help.

Tom

Hi Tom,

I put down wood floors commercially. You didn't say specifically, but I
assume you're going to use an engineered product, not solid wood.

1) You have to get the nails out. Just pry them up. Use a shopvac to get
the dust and chips out. If you leave the nails, the underlayment won't
lie flat.

2) If they bother you, fill the craters with leveling compound. It isn't
necessary, because your underlayment* will be a buffer.

*) I'm assuming by "underlayment" you mean plywood. If you mean some
type of foam, go ahead and fill the holes -- you'll feel better.

3) If the cracks are 1/8" or less, use a crack sealer like RedGard. I
don't have a tie to that brand; it's just readily available. Read the
instructions.

4) Check the floor for levelness. The installation instructions will
tell you how much the floor can be out of level. Believe it. If the
floor is off too much, fill the low spots with self-leveling compound.

5) Get the floor good and clean. This will make glue stick better, if
you're glueing it down, or prevent noises if it's free-floating.

Report back as you progress. We'll provide all the dubious advice we
can.

Steve