By Tony Chalhoub, founder of CarpetAce
Short answer: For most Melbourne homes on a slab, carpet is the best choice for bedrooms, hybrid or 5mm vinyl plank for kitchens and living areas, and engineered timber if you want a real timber floor. Whichever you choose, the slab matters more than the floor: it has to be dry, flat and clean, and every hard floor is subject to floor preparation, quoted at the measure. At CarpetAce, carpet starts from $20.50/m², Terra Mater Resiplank hybrid is $45–$65/m² and engineered oak starts from $89/m², supply only, including GST.
Most new Melbourne homes, townhouses and apartments sit on a concrete slab, and many older homes have one in an extension or downstairs. I’ve spent more than 20 years on the tools as an installer, and most floor failures I’ve seen over concrete started with the slab, not the floor. Here’s what works, what the slab needs, and what it costs.
Key takeaways
- The right floor depends on the room: how it’s used, how much foot traffic it gets and whether it sees water.
- Moisture is the biggest risk over concrete. Test the slab before any timber or resilient floor goes down.
- Cracks, humps and dips affect how a floor lays and wears. Hard floors and vinyl need a flatter slab than carpet does.
- Carpet, hybrid, vinyl plank, engineered timber, laminate, carpet tiles and sheet vinyl all work over concrete when the slab is prepared properly.
- Floor preparation is quoted at the free measure, once we’ve seen the slab.
Floor coverings over concrete compared
Here’s how the floors we supply and install compare on a slab. Prices are per m², supply including GST.
| Floor | Best for | What the slab needs | Supply (inc GST) | Installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carpet | Bedrooms, lounges, media rooms | Dry and reasonably flat; underlay evens out small bumps, not lips or humps | From $20.50; mid-range nylon $43.50; mid-range wool $68.30 | $11–$13.60, plus 10mm underlay $6–$10 |
| Hybrid (Terra Mater Resiplank) | Kitchens, living areas, hallways | Flat and dry; floats over the slab | $45 (7mm), $55 (8.5mm), $65 (9.7mm) | $28, underlay attached |
| Vinyl plank, 5mm | Kitchens, living areas, rentals | Very flat and smooth; shows every bump | About $45 | $28 |
| Engineered timber | Living areas, whole-home floors | Dry and flat; floated over underlay or glued direct | Oak from $89; Australian species about $130 | Floating $28 + $6 underlay; direct stick $35 + $15 adhesive |
| Laminate | Bedrooms and living areas away from water | Flat and dry, with a moisture barrier | About $40 | $28 |
| Carpet tiles | Offices, retail, home offices | Flat, clean and sound; glued | $35–$60 | $15, adhesive included |
| Safety and commercial sheet vinyl | Commercial kitchens, healthcare, commercial wet areas | Smooth, flat and dry; glued | From $45 | $32 |
Floor preparation is quoted at the measure for every hard floor and for carpet tiles. Our flooring price calculator works out a price guide for your own rooms.
Best flooring options for concrete slabs
Hardwood flooring and its suitability over concrete slabs
Timber works well over concrete, and engineered timber is the usual choice. It has a real hardwood top layer on a stable multi-ply or layered core, so it moves less with the seasons than solid boards. It goes down one of two ways:
- Floating over an underlay, with a moisture barrier where the slab calls for one: $28/m² installation plus $6/m² underlay.
- Direct stick, glued straight to the prepared slab: $35/m² plus $15/m² adhesive. It costs more but feels more solid and sounds quieter underfoot.
We decide the method at the measure, once we’ve seen the slab and the board. Solid timber is a bigger job over a slab, and we’ll talk you through the options. If your slab has in-slab hydronic heating, check the range: Terra Mater WildOak is listed for systems up to 27°C, while Greenwoods isn’t, and its warranty excludes heated subfloors.
How imperfections in concrete slabs can affect flooring
Cracks, humps, dips and old adhesive all show up in the finished floor. Every hard floor maker sets a flatness tolerance, checked with a long straightedge, and a floor laid outside it can flex at the joins, sound hollow, or wear unevenly over high spots. Thin vinyl plank is the least forgiving: it shows every bump and trowel mark. Carpet over good underlay hides the most, but it can’t hide a lip or a step.
The fixes are routine: grind the high spots, fill cracks and low spots, scrape off old glue, and pour a self-levelling compound where the floor is out. It’s the part of the job you don’t see, and it’s why floor preparation is quoted at the measure rather than guessed.
Moisture concerns for floor coverings over concrete
Concrete holds water. A new slab can take months to dry enough for a timber or resilient floor; an often-quoted rule of thumb is about a month for every 25mm of thickness, but the only reliable answer is a moisture test. Older slabs can draw damp from the ground, especially beside garden beds or where the drainage is poor.
Signs to look for: tide marks or white powder (efflorescence) on bare concrete, a musty smell, or mould on the back of old underlay. Moisture under a floor can make timber cup, lift glued floors, grow mould under floating floors and break down carpet underlay. Before any timber or resilient floor goes down, the slab’s moisture should be tested and the barrier, adhesive or method chosen to suit.
Vinyl planks: pros and cons for covering concrete slabs
Vinyl plank is a popular choice over a slab, and it’s a good one when the slab is properly prepared.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| The planks resist water and spills wipe up | Needs a very flat, smooth slab; it shows bumps and dips |
| Slim at 5mm, which helps with door clearances and transitions | Thin, so it absorbs less sound than carpet or a hybrid with attached underlay |
| Warmer and softer underfoot than tiles | Heavy point loads can dent it; use furniture protectors |
| About $45/m² supply plus $28/m² installation | A printed timber look, not real timber |
If your slab isn’t perfect, a hybrid is more forgiving: its rigid core bridges minor imperfections better than a thin vinyl plank, though it still needs a flat floor. Browse our hybrid flooring ranges.
Installing laminate flooring over concrete subfloor
Laminate has a high-density fibreboard core under a photographic layer and a tough wear layer. Over concrete it floats on an underlay with a moisture barrier, and the slab must be clean, flat and dry. It’s hard-wearing and good value at about $40/m² plus $28/m² installation, but its fibreboard core doesn’t like water, so keep it out of kitchens prone to spills, laundries and bathrooms. A floating laminate floor can also sound a little hollow underfoot.
Epoxy coating and its benefits for concrete floor covering
Epoxy and polished concrete aren’t floor coverings: they’re finishes applied to the slab itself by specialist trades, and CarpetAce doesn’t do them. They’re tough, seamless and easy to sweep, which makes them popular in garages and workshops. In a home they’re hard, cold and loud underfoot, and they show every crack in the slab. If you want warmth or softness, a covering is the better choice.
Carpeting over concrete slabs: what you need to know
Carpet is the warmest, quietest floor you can put on a slab, which is why it remains the first choice for bedrooms. Smooth-edge gripper is fixed around the room into the concrete, the underlay is laid over the slab, and the carpet is stretched onto the gripper. Installation of carpet we supply is $11–$13.60/m² depending on the carpet’s weight.
Underlay matters more over concrete than over timber, because the slab has no give at all. A good 10mm underlay ($6–$10/m²; we use Airstep, Underlay King and Airlay) makes the carpet feel softer and takes some of the wear out of every footstep. A damp slab is a problem for carpet too, because underlay can go mouldy, so deal with any damp first. See our carpet prices for full costs.
Underlayment installation tips to minimise noise over concrete
Hard floors on a slab carry footfall noise around the room, and floating floors can sound hollow. The right underlay for each floor:
| Floor | What goes under it | Cost per m² |
|---|---|---|
| Carpet | 10mm carpet underlay | $6–$10 |
| Hybrid (Resiplank) | A 1.5–2mm EVA underlay is already attached; don’t add another layer unless the maker allows it | Included |
| Engineered timber, floating | Underlay, with a moisture barrier where needed | $6 |
| Engineered timber, direct stick | No underlay; glued to the slab | Adhesive $15 |
Terra Mater publishes acoustic ratings for Resiplank: 6 Star for the 9.7mm and 5 Star for the 7mm and 8.5mm. In an apartment, check your owners corporation’s rules on hard floors and acoustic ratings before you choose.
Linoleum: a sustainable alternative to covering concrete slabs
True linoleum is made mostly from natural materials and suits a slab well, but it’s sensitive to moisture from below and needs a specialist installer. We don’t supply or lay it. Our guide to linoleum flooring explains the pros and cons, and the sheet vinyl, vinyl plank and hybrid we supply instead.
Rugs as an accessory for concrete floors
Rugs bring warmth and texture to polished concrete and hard floors, and they help with echo in open-plan rooms. Choose a rug that suits the traffic, put a rug underlay beneath it so it doesn’t slide or mark the floor, and keep rugs off a new floor until any adhesive has cured. Our guide on how to stop rugs slipping has the details.
Luxury vinyl planks and their suitability for basements
Basements aren’t common in Melbourne homes, but below-ground rumpus rooms, cellars and garage conversions are, and they have the dampest slabs in the house. Vinyl plank and hybrid planks won’t swell with moisture, which makes them a sensible choice there. That doesn’t make the slab irrelevant: moisture trapped under any floor can grow mould, and it can stop adhesive from bonding. Below ground, a moisture test isn’t optional.
How to glue luxury vinyl planks on concrete substrate
Depending on the product, vinyl plank is either glued down or floated, and we confirm the method at the measure. For a glued floor, the steps are:
- Test the slab for moisture and make sure it’s within the limits set by the adhesive and plank makers.
- Grind the high spots, fill cracks and low spots, and level the floor if it’s out.
- Vacuum thoroughly, and prime the slab if the adhesive system calls for it.
- Spread the adhesive the plank maker specifies with the right notched trowel, and lay the planks within its working time.
- Roll the floor with a heavy roller to bed the planks, then keep heavy furniture off for as long as the adhesive maker specifies.
The advantages of installing peel and stick vinyl tiles over concrete floors
Peel-and-stick vinyl tiles are a quick DIY cover for a shed, rumpus room or laundry, and they’re easy to cut. Be realistic about them on a slab, though: their self-adhesive backing often lets go on dusty or damp concrete, the edges can lift, and every bump shows through. We don’t supply them. For a floor that lasts, a properly prepared slab with vinyl plank or hybrid is the better investment.
Frequently asked questions
Can you install hardwood floors over a concrete subfloor?
Yes. Engineered timber can be glued directly to a prepared slab ($35/m² plus $15/m² adhesive) or floated over underlay ($28/m² plus $6/m²), once the slab has passed a moisture test and is flat. We decide the method at the measure.
What is the best way to prepare a concrete slab for floor covering installation?
Make it dry, flat and clean: test the moisture, grind high spots, fill cracks and dips, level where needed, remove old adhesive and vacuum thoroughly. Floor preparation is quoted at the measure, once we’ve seen the slab.
What does it cost to cover a concrete floor in Melbourne?
It depends on the floor and the slab. As a guide, a 30 m² open-plan area in 8.5mm hybrid comes to about $3,222 including installation and skirting removed and refitted, before any floor preparation. Carpet starts from $20.50/m² supply plus $11–$13.60/m² installation.
How long does it take to install a new floor covering over concrete?
Laying the floor is usually the quick part. The waiting is in the preparation: levelling compound and adhesives need time to cure, and a new slab may need to dry for months before timber or vinyl goes down. We’ll give you a realistic timeframe once we’ve seen the slab.
Covering a concrete floor? See our hybrid flooring and timber flooring price guides, or compare hybrid and engineered timber.
Book a free measure and quote
We’ll bring samples to your home, measure every room and email a written quote within 24 hours of the measure. Book your free measure and quote or call 0425 552 816.