Hardwood Floor Medallions On Concrete

Installation of hardwood floor medallions on concrete is far easier to do when the actual floor is being installed. In the set of photos to follow we had used our installation template to mark the area on the concrete where the medallion was going. Considering this is a glue down hardwood floor you Outline hardwood medallion before work don't want to cover the entire area before the design area is cut out from the floor. Doing so will create a nightmarish problem trying to remove the boards.

Depending on the medallion manufacturer all have will different thickness templates. Ours was 3/8" of one inch. The next step once the floor was installed and the adhesive had a chance to cure (24 hours minimum), is tacking the template to the floor with brad nails in the desired area. Templates must be secured firmly, otherwise once we get the router cranked up it could shift and ruin the whole project.

Lesson number one. Don't do as we did in the photo below. Actually I was doing the photos and did not like what was going on so I continued the rest of the router work. The photo example shows the collar (guides the cutter blade along the template) barely touching the template. Medallion installations are quite easy, but if you fail to double check before you start plunging into the floor you could have a lot of repair work ahead of you, namely pulling out boards and replacing them.

Special NOTE

Designs should not be cut out in one single pass. In our case we made three passes around the template taking off a little under 3/16" of an inch at a time to play it safe. Incidentally, the hardwood floor is a select white oak unfinished 5/8" thick engineered plank manufactured by Owens Plank Flooring.

More Special NOTES

Your subfloor has to be flat for this project to work. Thicker medallions do not bend well. It is also critical your new medallion not be stored in areas exposed to high humidity or reverse, prior to installing. Thinner medallions also have a tendency to warp if you do not install within a certain period of time. How long? This is unknown depending on your circumstances.

Once you do receive your medallion everybody wants to see it and you're likely to display it proudly. Once you have marveled over the workmanship, we recommend placing it back in the original packaging until it is time to install. It's also best to lay flat when storing. Applying adhesive before medallion is inserted

Next step is cleaning the area where the medallion is to be installed. If you've followed our advice on spreading the glue on the outside line of the pencil scribe, you may still get some glue squeeze over that line. In this case I adjusted the cutter blade depth on the router to where it was barely missing the concrete. It look off any remaining glue like a charm. For other contaminates or glue use a 4" flooring scraper, but be careful with those sharp blades! Finish by vacuuming.

Time to glue her up and drop that beauty into place!

It's also important to note all perimeter areas should be flush with the floor itself. This is very important with prefinished floors but not as critical with floors that will be finished. After dropping in the medallion, carefully walk on it to seat the adhesive. Don't worry, it will not move. The precision of the template makes for a seamless appearance. Neighbors, relatives, and your best buddy will be impressed with your expert workmanship! For added protection before the adhesive has a chance to cure, place weights on the perimeter area while making sure the medallions is flush with other areas around it.

Other Photos


Several passes with router	Inserting the medallion

Medallion before final sanding	Final result

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• Hardwood Floor Borders - One strip type. How they're installed
• Parquet Wood Flooring
• How Medallions Are Made
• Installing Medallions On Existing Hardwood Floors
• Installing Medallions On Concrete
• Stone Medallions