Installing Hardwood Floors With Glue

Only spread the adhesive over small areas ahead of you at any given time.

Installing hardwood floors with glue.

The adhesive is spread on an area of the subfloor where the boards are going to be adhered to using a specialized trowel. Set the expansion gap lay spacers along the walls to create the expansion gap specified in the manufacturer s instructions. Installing hardwood flooring glue down method step by step instructions. The adhesive manufacturer should have instructions regarding specific trowel requirements.

Once you have decided to use the glue down floor method make sure that you leave a large enough expansion gap depending on the hardwood product you chose from the wall to allow the wood to contract and expand. Use a notched trowel to spread the adhesive. All wet work such as concrete masonry framing members drywall paint etc should be thoroughly dry. To determine the best method you need to look at the home and your geographic area and see which is right for the floor.

Do not pre spread the adhesive over the entire sub floor as it will dry before you get to. You don t want the adhesive drying before you can get to that area. While installing be sure to do small areas at a time. Pass the trowel through the glue at a 45 degree angle and install engineered flooring immediately after the adhesive is spread.

With the floor prepped spread flooring adhesive with trowel spreading enough to work on a few rows at time so the glue doesn t dry. If installing glue down hardwood flooring in a new house completely close the building in with all outside doors and windows in place. This may include polymeric resin moisture cure urethane water based adhesive acrylic or a hybrid product. The weight of the wood holds the floor in place without nails or glue.

The specific product instructions will dictate what type of trowel and adhesive should be used. After making sure the surface is completely level and clean place the substrate sheets on the ground and stretch them out properly. Gluing a floor down with either the glue assist method or full trowel glue method will not stop a floor from cupping or crowning only well maintained moisture control above and below will do that. This is your last chance to check if the ground is level and has no lumps or stray rocks so use it wisely.

The wall coverings and painting should be completed before the installation of the hardwood flooring. Glue will typically set in about 60 minutes hold your trowel at a 45 degree angle spread the glue in small sections. You ll want to lay down a pad or underlayment to reduce noise and act as a moisture barrier before laying the flooring. Glue down engineered hardwood using a glue down method you can install hardwood directly over most subfloors including concrete.