Adhesives – How to Install Adhesive Flooring Both solid and engineered floors can be installed with wood flooring adhesive. Real Oak Floors recommends the use of Everbuild 650 Wood Floor Adhesive and Everbuild 750 Fast Dry Flooring Adhesive. There are two main techniques for adhesive installation that will both be explained. Remember that it is always recommended to glue solid floors, not to use the floating method.
Floating floor method
The floating floor method of fixing the hardwood floor is done by gluing the tabs and grooves of the floor. This creates a new floor that is “floating” above the original floor. Floors can float on any solid subfloor and is the preferred method of laying engineered flooring. It is a good choice when the moisture content of the subfloor is unknown, as a moisture-proof membrane can be used between the flooring and the subfloor to prevent moisture from entering the new flooring. When floating a floor, an underlay should be used to dampen any additional echoes and noise.
This echo is caused by two hard surfaces together that have a space between them. The noise resonates in this void. The base is used to avoid any echo, as the two hard surfaces will not touch. There is a wide range of underlays to use when floating the floor; all are suitable, however one of the best on the market is Silentfloor Gold made by Timbermate. This is a very dense underlying layer, which means there is less sound echo from foot traffic. Generally, the denser the base, the less noise.
To float the ground:
Moisten the membrane (if necessary) ensuring that the edges of the membrane continue to climb up the side of the socket. Lay the underlayment making sure all areas of the floor are covered. Any area that is exposed by the underlayment will cause a bounce on the new floor and it will be louder. A PVA adhesive is used to glue the boards.
Adjust the flooring by placing two drops of adhesive along the top and bottom sides of the “groove” joint. (It is a common misconception that boards need to be glued along the “tongue”; this will simply push the adhesive too far into the joint and will not create a firm bond between the boards). You must make sure that the beads of the glue are constant and not intermittent, as this can cause the boards to creak if the joint is not constant.
Let the joints and glue dry before stepping on the floor. Any PVA glue that has spilled onto the boards can easily be wiped off a lacquered or oiled board, or sanded off an unfinished floor. It should be noted that heat-treated solid oak has less density, so water-based PVA will not adhere to wood as well as regular oak. When using heat-treated solid oak, it is better to use another trim option, however if the boards are designed this is not a problem as the tongue and grooves are made from the softwood base.
Gluing method
The gluing method for laying a floor is to use a strong and thick specific floor adhesive that is applied directly to the subfloor, allowing the new floor to adhere directly to the original floor. This is a very sturdy method that is the recommended option for solid wood floors and parquet floors.
To lay a floor using the gluing method, you must ensure that the subfloor is dry, level, and structurally sound. When laying on concrete, it is best to prime the area first with a PVA-based primer to ensure good adhesion to the floor. It is recommended to check the moisture of any old concrete before laying the boards. Both engineered floors and solid floors can be laid using the gluing method.
To glue the floor:
First, make sure the subfloor is flat, free of dust and dirt, and has been primed if necessary. Working in an area large enough to complete in 20 minutes, apply the adhesive to the wood floors with a notched trowel, making sure that the entire surface has an even amount of glue. Lay the new floor boards making sure all the boards have been taut and have not moved out of place as other boards have been installed.
Let the adhesive dry for 12 hours and do not walk on the floor until it is completely dry. Unlike PVA adhesive, flooring adhesive is very difficult to remove from the surface of the boards, so make sure any spills on the boards are removed immediately before they dry.
Other adhesive-based adjustment methods:
There are other adhesive-based mounting options that are used to match the floor:
- Adhesive-backed underlayment. An adhesive backed foam base layer on one side. The base has a sticky side covered with a plastic film that is removed as the flooring is laid. Envoy multi, Elastilon and Acoustalay 300/1000 adhesives are all types of adhesive subfloors.
- Slatted base for use with adhesive. This base coat comes with narrow trimmed slats, allowing the base coat to be used in conjunction with the adhesive while applying the glue on the cutouts. The floor benefits from being directly glued with the added advantage of having an underlay in between. This option is used when the floor is to be glued directly but the subfloor is not completely flat.
