i put down tile that looks like wood in a below grade basement. So easy to keep clean and no real worry about moisture/spills/etc.

Yes we did that. We're in CA where most homes are built on concrete slab, and most do not have basements or any below grade space.
We have real white oak floors - the contractor first had to put a leveler down, then sand, then lay the floors.

If you're asking if you can put it directly on the slab, no. You need some sort of subfloor, bringing the height of your floors up about 1.5 inches between the subfloor and wood. You'll probably need to cut down your doors, and def pull up any baseboards.

I'm not a fan of engineered floors that get a lot of activity. You might be able to sand them down once, but that's about it.

I have had to settle for "wood" tile in our new place. I would prefer real wood but it just wasn't a feasible option. I'm not used to the wood tile, it looks fine and so incredibly easy to clean and care for. Just a thought.

As others have said below grade it makes more sense to do an engineered floor due to potential issues with moisture. I had a hardwood floor over a crawlspace warp on me years ago and its a major PIA to correct.

I had hardwood over slab in my condo and it was perfectly fine. No problems. Was above grade though idk if that matters tbh.

Anonymous wrote:Engineered hardwood floors. Go check them out. They can look perfect, Underfoot they feel the same and look the same as solid hardwood floors. Only difference is you can’t refinish them as much (I think once maybe?) as the layer of solid wood is thinner. They will be more tolerant to humidity than solid hardwood floors.

If indeed your slab is not too humid, with a good subfloor it could work.

And regarding vinyl. I put luxury vinyl tile in my basement. It looks good and we didn’t have a choice there. But no way it comes close to wood. The feel underfoot is very different. You know you are walking on plastic.

Engineered hardwood floors. Go check them out. They can look perfect, Underfoot they feel the same and look the same as solid hardwood floors. Only difference is you can’t refinish them as much (I think once maybe?) as the layer of solid wood is thinner. They will be more tolerant to humidity than solid hardwood floors.

If indeed your slab is not too humid, with a good subfloor it could work.

Just level the slab first. But, don't be too quick to discard the idea of luxury vinyl flooring, which has advantages in ground floor/basement settings, most especially moisture resistance. It comes in different grades and the higher quality products, especially those installed as individual tiles/planks, look pretty good, while costing much less than engineered or solid hardwood. They can look very much like hardwood, stone, or tile. Some have a cork layer for additional warmth and padding. Lifespan may be shorted than wood alternatives, though, if you plan to stay in your home for several decades.

My house is exactly like this. We put down a subfloor of dricore (https://www.homedepot.com/p/DRICORE-Subfloor-Membrane-Panel-3-4-in-x-2-ft-x-2-ft-Oriented-Strand-Board-FG10006/) on top of the concrete. Then engineered wood on top of that. It provides moisture protection and also creates nice layer of insulation so the floor doesn’t feel as cold. It’s also incredibly simple to install.

Anonymous wrote:We live in a split level house and the bottom floor is concrete slab and theoretically below grade (but only a few inches). We have pets and the carpet is terrible. I hate plastic and really would love wooden floors downstairs instead of vinyl. Is that a bad idea?

You can absolutely install hardwood on slab. They do this all over the south where crawlspaces and basements are less common.

We did it. The contractor can put down a special substance to smooth the floor before installing the wood. That said, it wasn’t perfect - there were a few areas that felt slightly “bendy” when we walked over them. But if you’re okay with that, it did much improve the look and was super easy to keep clean.

There are engineered hardwood floors that you can get away with below grade. Don’t attempt solid.

We live in a split level house and the bottom floor is concrete slab and theoretically below grade (but only a few inches). We have pets and the carpet is terrible. I hate plastic and really would love wooden floors downstairs instead of vinyl. Is that a bad idea?