Gluing Solid Wood Floor To Concrete

The national wood flooring association recommends two alternative installation methods.

Gluing solid wood floor to concrete.

Check the slab with a straightedge and mark any spots that are lower or higher. These products regardless of species thickness or width can be glued down successfully over concrete or gypsum based sub floors. When glue is used in conjunction with screws and nails the bond is strong enough to resist natural movement of the wood. Glue forms the initial bond but without screws and nails the natural expansion and contraction of the wood can break or weaken the glue.

Then paper the floor and nail using 1 1 2 cleats. 2 layers nominal 3 8 minimum cd exposure 1 plywood subfloor panels cdx 4 x 8 sheets. Installations of solid wood are never recommended below grade. To glue a wooden floor a full coverage of flexible wood adhesive must be applied to the sub floor and the boards.

The other concern has always been that water in a concrete slab will be absorbed by wood flooring. A glued floor feels as solid as a nailed floor underfoot and can handle the contractions of the wood thanks to the flexibility of the glue. Small high spots can be ground down with an angle grinder. In flatness over a 10 ft.

Gluing down solid wood flooring to concrete 1. And for do it yourselfers the preferred method is the floating floor installation which uses no glue or nails. I always recommend solids over engineered. While it s possible to glue hardwood flooring to concrete it s a messy and risky procedure and it s prone to failure.

Installing plywood over the subfloor or using sleepers which are two by fours laid flat across the floor and used as nailers. Gluing solid parquet flooring directly to a concrete slab solid parquet hardwood flooring can be glued directly to a concrete slab on grade or above grade with the use of a manufacturer recommended vapor retarder. Typically it is sheets of plastic laid on the slab and taped at the seams with waterproof tape. If you can t use shorts you ll have to subfloor the concrete with plywood using bostics and concrete nails.

Grind down small high spots with an angle grinder. If your installing long wide boards glue and nail. 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.

Before installing any wood floor over concrete you ll need a moisture barrier. Solid parquet should not be installed below grade. It usually takes a couple of coats to level out a large area. Glue is a secondary method of attachment for bonding wood to concrete.

The only limitation is the slabs must be above or on grade.