Glue-down flooring: 5 pros and cons

First of all, let’s be clear, wood provides a timeless aesthetic and neat touch. It enhances the natural beauty of your property. That said, glue-down flooring is becoming more popular because of the comfort and coziness it gives to any interior. Let’s have a close look at the glue-down flooring solutions, and questions we asked ourselves:

Do the advantages of “glue-down” flooring outweigh its disadvantages? Are there things you should know before making your flooring decision? In short, what are its strengths and weaknesses? For you, we will present here five main points. These will help you see keenly in your future choice of wood flooring.

This article will discuss the pros and cons of glue-down flooring. Then, you can determine if it’s the right flooring choice for your home.

Advantages and disadvantages of glue-down flooring

There are many flooring options, but many people are turning to “glue-down” flooring for home improvement. Be sure to choose the flooring installation according to your desires and your needs. Here is a review of the advantages and disadvantages of such flooring installation. These are now widespread, especially for solid wood floors.

What is the principle of the installation of glue-down flooring?

Widespread for solid wood floors and some engineered floors, this installation method makes the floor particularly integral. It includes its support, practical and different ways of installation.

• The first, the glue-down installation, consists of applying the glue on a support with a specific notched spatula.
• The second, the glued installation, consists of drawing fine glue lines on the support with a gun and then laying the floorboards one by one on these lines.

Parquet to be glued: What are the advantages?

• Is it the best asset? It is the price! Inexpensive, installing a parquet floor of the type “to glue” is generally cheaper than installing a parquet floor “nailed”, which requires the intervention of professionals, not to mention the materials to be purchased.
• It is also essential for many of us. It is compatible with underfloor heating, which should be installed underneath the flooring at least 4 weeks before laying a parquet floor to stabilize the support. More suitable for underfloor heating than floating parquet, glue-down parquet is also more efficient and presents less risk of deformation of the boards.
• It can be laid on almost any surface. Glue-down parquet can be applied to many surfaces, such as marble, tiles, or even old parquet, as long as it is clean and sound.
• It’s very comfortable! The installation of a glue-down floor offers excellent floor stability and comfort without the slippery feeling underfoot or squeaking noises typical of nailed-down floors.
• The installation of a glue-down parquet floor is possible for a glued-down parquet floor and a solid wood parquet floor between 10 and 20mm thick.

Glue-down Flooring: What are the disadvantages?

• Its installation is relatively easy, but as with any other type of parquet, the floor surface must be completely flat and free of any dirt. Therefore, it needs some preparation time before installation.
• The installation of glue-down parquet requires the observance of specific strict rules essential to ensure a stable installation over the long term.
• It is also a disadvantage that installing a “glue-down” parquet is generally employable only for parquet floors. Their thickness is between 10 and 20 millimeters. It limits a little the choice of the installation of parquet.
• The installation of a parquet floor “to be glued” implies a time of drying of the glue. It is nonnegligible. It has to last at least 24 hours before proceeding to the remainder of the stages of the installation of a parquet floor. The stages include sanding, which makes the installation spread imperatively over two days.
• The installation of glue-down parquet generally offers less sound insulation than its competitors. However, the compensation is the installation of an additional insulating layer.

Conclusion

Glue-down floors: An innovative, inexpensive, solid, and comfortable solution

Of course, glue-down floors are not the perfect solution for everyone. As a result, knowing the pros and cons will help you choose the best fit for your space.

What is certain is that such floorings are very easy to install and replace. All you need is a DIY with a little knowledge of installation, and you can put the boards in place. Moreover, it holds back your money from hiring a professional.

Plus, you can easily overcome most of the drawbacks of glue-down floors with the proper preparation. It needs minimal effort to choose the suitable material and underlayment.

Overall, installing glue-down flooring requires some experience in laying flooring and some good DIY skills. Suppose you are not sure about knowing everything and mastering to install your glue-down floor in your home. Then, you should call on competent and expert professionals. They will guarantee you an optimal, durable, and qualitative result. Flooring professionals focus on, among other things, the preparation phase of the floor. It must be in perfect condition to accommodate a parquet floor. Also, it must be on the possible underlayments that meet your needs or the direction of the floorboards. However, it’s not always easy to decide.