Q: My contractor just installed a hardwood floor everywhere in my house. He first used black tar paper on the concrete and paste/wood glue before putting down the hardwood floor. I just found out from another contractor that black tar paper is not suitable for hardwood and the wood would eventually come off / unglue. Is that true?
Am I heading towards another big project of gutting the wood floor, shaving off the tar paper and reinstalling wood flooring the right way? HELP!!
A: If I understand you correctly, this floor has been glued to tar paper, which tar paper was first glued to concrete. Tar paper is OK with hardwood in a nail down scenario, but if the first line of this email is correct, I think you are going to be starting over. The purpose of the tar paper is to act as a moisture retarder. It is not intended to have wood glued to it.
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