Should Hardwood Floors Be Glued To Concrete

Not all types of hardwood should be glued.

Should hardwood floors be glued to concrete.

Expansion gaps should be left between the flooring and wall. But the catch is that the solid wood flooring we have that can be glued over concrete and warranted is 5 16 and 7 16 solid hardwood not 3 4 solid hardwood and can be only on on grade and suspended concrete. Contrary to what you may hear not all products can be glued easily. Boards adhere well to the rough surface of the concrete subfloor and therefore lead to less gaps or planks lifting and buckling.

Always start with the longest wall in. The glue down method of engineered wood flooring installation is typically the most common and creates a highly stable floor. The only limitation is the slabs must be above or on grade. When working on a clean concrete subfloor the glue down method is often the go to choice.

Put another way gluing solid 3 4 hardwood has always been risky business but some premium urethane glue manufacturers will warrant their use. Installations of solid wood are never recommended below grade. These products regardless of species thickness or width can be glued down successfully over concrete or gypsum based sub floors. The other concern has always been that water in a concrete slab will be absorbed by wood.

Gluing my hardwood floor down to be able to glue your hardwood floor down the subfloor must be a solid and sound structure for example concrete or wooden floor boards. The manufacturer should have recommendations for how wide the expansion gaps need to be. Installing engineered hardwood flooring over concrete too tight against a stationary object will not allow room for normal expansion and may cause a failure.