Why Glue Down Hardwood Flooring

When working on a clean concrete subfloor the glue down method is often the go to choice.

Why glue down hardwood flooring.

Solid hardwood floors must be fixed into position by either gluing or nailing down to the subfloor. The glue down method. Around the house the rooms with the most traffic such as the front hallway the kitchen and the recreation room are better served by glue down flooring than floating flooring but if you re considering a whole house. Reduces but does not eliminate wood movement.

The floor will be glued directly to the sub flooring using a hardwood flooring adhesive. If installing glue down hardwood flooring in a new house completely close the building in with all outside doors and windows in place. The glue down method of engineered wood flooring installation is typically the most common and creates a highly stable floor. Newer adhesives are elastomeric.

While a glue down installation is the most expensive and labor intensive of the three options it s also considered the most stable method of installation. Glue down hardwood flooring often sounds more like real solid hardwood flooring than floating floors do. Glue down hardwood floor installation. That s because of the elastic quality of glue which allows the floor to expand and contract naturally with the seasons.

A glue down floor is usually a better choice in high traffic areas like commercial buildings and industrial spaces because the glue provides extra holding power. The installation of hardwood floors by the glue down method is used predominately on concrete slabs. The wall coverings and painting should be completed before the installation of the hardwood flooring. Boards adhere well to the rough surface of the concrete subfloor and therefore lead to less gaps or planks lifting and buckling.

The adhesives used to glue wood down to a subfloor make for an extremely strong bond. All wet work such as concrete masonry framing members drywall paint etc should be thoroughly dry. Subfloor preparation is critical on all job sites but especially for glue down. Glue down hardwood floors on concrete.

Applications are more prominent with residential construction in sunbelt areas commercial locations and high rise dwellings. They allow the wood board to expand and contract but they do not grow or shrink nearly as much as they would with a floating or nail. Engineered hardwood floors can be glued or nailed into position but they also have the option of being floated over an underlay.