Glue Down Flooring On Concrete

Gluedowns are installed by trowel spreading of adhesive on the subfloor in a pre determined area shown.

Glue down flooring on concrete.

Add padding for comfort. The concrete slab needs the proper moisture vapor protection underneath and proper drainage away from the building. How are they installed. The glue down method involves two distinct types of adhesives.

Although vinyl flooring is flexible it will separate if you install it over an uneven surface so if the concrete has high spots you need to grind them down and if it has low spots or cracks you need to fill them with concrete patching compound. You glue down the planks directly onto the subfloor. 500 750 square feet of coverage. Other products are better suited for a nail down installation where they are secured to a wood subfloor with nails or staples.

Some engineered wood flooring products are designed for a glue down application when installing flooring over a concrete slab. Using an adhesive creates dimensional stability that ensures the flooring maintains its natural characteristics. Once your subfloor preparation is complete and your floor is level it is time to choose an adhesive. When gluing over a concrete slab it is important to take proper moisture readings.

Hard set and pressure sensitive. If your subfloor is not perfect or has some slopes you shouldn t worry because you are gluing down the planks. When you glue down vinyl plank flooring over a wood subfloor a double layer construction of the wood subfloor is required. I have seen some glue down 3 4 solid hardwood floors directly to concrete and many installers use straps or clamps in an effort to force board rows tighter together during installation.

For glue together and glue down floors it s between 8 and 12 pounds so be sure to check the moisture requirements for the product you purchase. All adhesives are not made the same. The important thing is for your subfloor to be free of any debris. Be advised that over strapping can adversely affect the floor and may result in glue bond failure seam peaking twisted boards or out of square floor board alignment.

Concrete is very hard and laminate isn t much softer. Applications are more prominent with residential construction in sunbelt areas commercial locations and high rise dwellings. Use a quality cleaner like zep professional concrete and masonry floor cleaner 27 per gallon. Using a glue down floor is an option in above grade installation only since installation below grade requires a plastic barrier on top of the concrete.

And for do it yourselfers the preferred method is the floating floor installation which uses no glue or nails. The installation of hardwood floors by the glue down method is used predominately on concrete slabs. If the plywood is porous prep the subfloor by applying a primer that fills the pores and makes the floor ready to accept the adhesive.