Hardwood Floors February/March 2024

AT THE SITE Selecting the Right Adhesive (Continued)

PHOTO COURTESY OF NWFA

For additional information about adhesives, check out the NWFA's Installation Guidelines at NWFA.ORG/TECHNICAL- GUIDELINES/.

KNOW YOUR MARKET You need to know what environmental challenges the flooring will experience. Some markets can experience significant swings in humidity from summer to winter. Using an elastomeric adhesive is critical since this

WOOD FLOORING INSTALLATION GUIDELINES

Revised © 2019

will allow the flooring to expand or contract with seasonal humidity fluctuations. The most common elastomeric adhesives are modified silane and urethane adhesives. A major advantage of these adhesives is that they do not contain moisture. I prefer modified silane adhesives since they give the benefits of a urethane adhesive without the difficult cleanup. That is because modified silane adhesives do not contain isocyanates like traditional urethanes. TYPES OF ADHESIVES Urethane adhesives typically are recommended when gluing down solid tropical hardwood species and solid bamboo, including vertical, horizontal, and strand since they generally are moisture-sensitive. Water-based acrylic and solvent based adhesives also are available on the market. Water-based adhesives should be used only with engineered hardwood flooring that is not moisture-sensitive in areas where moisture is not a concern. Before you commit to a glue-down application, ensure the selected flooring can be installed as a glue-down. I have spoken to many installers who have been put in a no-win situation with a nail-down-only product sold as glue down over concrete. technical_guidelines_cover_installation_2019.indd 1

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