Hardwood Floors February/March 2024

USING GLUE WITH NAIL-DOWN If your market primarily is nailed down, you may not think much about adhesives. As consumer tastes have evolved to wider and longer planks, adhesives have become increasingly important, even for nail-down applications. Using a glue-assist when nailing down wide and long planks can save you time and money by reducing callbacks. NWFA Guidelines now suggest glue-assist on any plank wider than 5”. The primary purpose of glue-assist products is to reduce or prevent friction squeaks between the flooring and the substrate. I know many installers who have gone to full-spread installations for wide and long planks over plywood substrates to reduce squeak complaints. Gary Scheidker is director of technical services for Taylor Adhesives, Meridian Adhesives Group. He has been in the flooring industry since 1970. In that time, Scheidker has been a flooring installer, estimator, retail salesperson, store owner, distributor territory manager, regional manager, and now director of technical services. He may be reached at gscheidker@tayloradhesives.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TAYLOR ADHESIVES

MOISTURE ISSUES If your area is prone to substrate moisture issues or you are doing new construction, using a moisture control adhesive is always a good protocol. You always should do a moisture test before starting a project to ensure that the moisture control adhesive selected can handle the issues that the slab has. Always consider the grade of the slab. On-grade or below-grade slabs are more prone to moisture issues. I always recommend considering the age of the slab when you moisture test. If you have high moisture emitting from a new slab, it is reasonable to assume it will diminish over time. You also should know the building code in your area regarding under slab vapor barriers. Most adhesive manufacturers require a slab poured directly on an under-slab vapor barrier per ASTM E1745. There are some areas where the building code does not require an under-slab vapor barrier and others that still allow for a granular (blotter) layer between the slab and the vapor barrier. Extra precautions should be taken in areas with these outdated building codes when selecting a moisture control adhesive or another moisture control system.