Hardwood Floors February/March 2025

TECH TALK

with

Adrian Molitor Molitor Traditional Flooring

Mark Whatley Amber Flooring

Matt Thrane Gehl Flooring

“What are your thoughts on gluing down solid wood flooring?”

MARK WHATLEY

ADRIAN MOLITOR

I don’t like it and there are many different reasons why, but the biggest reason is that with solid hardwood floors, how straight the boards are is very relevant when you are gluing down a floor and you’re not using a staple fastening or a cleat fastening system. So, to try to put boards together in glue, you push in one end and the other end comes out and then you end up using tape and it doesn’t go together as tight as if you were to nail a solid hardwood floor. I worry about the dimensional stability when it comes to moisture even though the glues have a moisture membrane in it. With it being a solid hardwood floor, you’re more susceptible to acquiring moisture in it which you’re going to have more dimensional change than if you had an engineered glue-down floor. Having done a couple of glue-down solid floors myself, I would make sure these items are considered when attempting this method of installation: • Make sure the subfloor is within tolerances for flatness. • Recommend using a well-milled product that will reduce crooked boards. • Use a good wood floor adhesive to account for seasonal movement. • Use both straps and weight to keep the floor tight and planted into the adhesive while it sets up. • Plan for a much longer installation time. MATT THRANE

Moisture would be the main concern with gluing down solid wood flooring. With moisture being regional, it depends on where you are located. Species also is very important. I know that in Wisconsin, we try to use an engineered product for glue downs if we can. We try to use a white oak or a red oak if that’s what we are going to be doing. I use engineered wood flooring mainly for glue-downs. I prefer to not glue down floors at all. I would rather seal the slab and build my own subfloor out of an approved OSB or plywood and fasten that to the concrete and nail my floor in and then deal with the height difference as necessary. We did a couple of restaurants and a bakery that way last summer and it takes a bit longer in some ways, but it also is less to worry about as long as you have your subfloor built properly and good transitions to make the transition from an inch and a half down to whatever their tile or other floor may be.

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