Basement Installation Question

Q: I live in New York and need to do my basement using wood flooring. Do I need to do anything other than what you have suggested? Should I buy certain type of wood Engineered wood? It is concrete in the basement, do I need to put something on top first? Thanks
A: This will be heavily dependent on the type of installation you wish to do. If you are going to purchase an engineered floor which can be floated, which I would suggest as this is the easiest install, you will need to use a moisture barrier and some seam tape. As far as product is concerned here, look at a product with a locking mechanism such as Kahrs or Saso. Both have excellent locking mechanisms, especially Saso’s system which is very easy to install.
Install your moisture barrier and make sure to tape the seams effectively, especially up along the edges of the walls where your trim will be. This will ensure that you will have no issues with moisture coming up through your concrete slab into your floor.
If you are looking into a glue down application, all you will need is a good adhesive and to follow the adhesive’s instructions. Typically this will mean allowing the adhesive to cure to a tacky consistency before laying your rows of flooring on the adhesive. Most adhesives will reach this point by the time you have laid out enough adhesive to cover about 60sf or so.
An important thing to keep in mind here is to allow for plenty of acclimation time in the basement. Give your floor a week or more to acclimate to the room as this will ensure far less issues post installation.