Gluing or nailing hardwood floors.

12 years ago

We want to put solid nail down tiger wood 5" planks in our living room in a new construction. We also want to put the Eco silent underlay to cut sound in the level below. We have been told that we should glue AND nail the floor, even though it is over a wood subfloor to make it stable. We will also then have to glue down the underlayment. The cost of the glue is huge and the cost of laying the floor est at $5 per sq ft , not including the floor cost. We thought that since the underlayment has self adhesive tape and the floor is nail down 3/4 inch thick we would not have to glue. Our house has central air. any comments on this?

Featured Answer

PRO

Cancork Floor Inc.

12 years ago

Oak & Broad answered the question. The 5" plank (considered "wide") is what is putting you into the "nail and glue" range. A 3 3/4" plank can go glue down only. The wider plank = more work to keep "stable". It is the price to be paid for the width of the plank. As beautiful as they are...they need much more finesse than a standard plank. Adding in cost of materials is normal. Again, it is the cost of the high-end, fashionable, finicky, floors that are all the rage right now.

I've seen a standard nail-down floor cost $5/sf to install. If you get the installation of the glued down underlay AND THE glue down + nail down install of the hardwood you are looking at a pretty decent price. Glue is "crazy expensive" because it is no longer "glue". It is chemical engineering that is a billion dollar industry. The adhesives today are so high tech they can IMPROVE a warranty! With the wrong glue, you have a void warranty. Adhesive is that important.

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Comments (15)

PRO
User
12 years ago
Do not take a short cut on installation that will haunt you later.
germainetoo thanked User
germainetoo
Original Author
12 years ago
We do not want to make a mistake we will pay for later but this is quite confusing. So do you think gluing is a good idea as well as nailing? Tiger wood 5" wide and ¾' thick. Lowes will install at $2.50 sq foot, this one who wants to glue is $5 plus glue. The other installers claim it is not necessary.
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Johnny Cornell
12 years ago
Where you at. Thats a pretty steep quote but I like the glue down with a nice pad. Do not go cheap on the pad. I just got a condo done near seattle and paid $1400 install for 550 ft2. Glue and pad was like $300.

http://www.redfin.com/WA/Bothell/14915-38th-Dr-SE-98012/unit-1139/home/12334337
germainetoo thanked Johnny Cornell
PRO
Oak & Broad
12 years ago
Don't buy a nice floor and then cheap out on the installation. Flooring 5" and wider is typically glued and nailed to keep it flat and resist movement.
germainetoo thanked Oak & Broad
Angel 18432
12 years ago
Are you getting professionals to do the job? Wouldn't use Lowes/Home installers.
germainetoo thanked Angel 18432
germainetoo
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you all for the valuable feedback. There is a lot of mediocre work in this area and we will take advice and go with the glue and nail.
germainetoo
Original Author
12 years ago
BTW we are in western PA and the price we were given for glue and nail with glued underlayment is 5 per sq ft at 845 sf that's a lot of money. AND we pay for the floor and glue!!!
PRO
Oak & Broad
12 years ago
Cancork you are a wealth of knowledge. I am always impressed by your posts. Thank you for contributing so much to the user experience here on Houzz.
germainetoo thanked Oak & Broad
PRO
User
12 years ago
In this industry there is usually reason the price is higher. 90% of the time the prep work is the cause of the higher price. Prep is also 90% of time the reason we have failure in this industry
germainetoo thanked User
germainetoo
Original Author
12 years ago
I wonder why the installers in our area do not know this? Maybe they are used to 3 ¾" floors.Thank you for taking the time to educate us!
Scott Whitsitt
9 years ago
We're installing 5" plank hickory floors, and decided to go with glue AND nail for two reasons. 1) the 5" planks have more expansion and 2) we have a run that is 50 ft long and 25 ft wide in our family room through the kitchen. Armstrong recommends using the glue and nail method for any plank floors 4" or wider because the seasonal changes (expanding in the summer, shrinking in the winter) are greater. The glue is supposed to help reduce that seasonal variation and reduce the risk of the floor cupping or getting gaps.

If we had really small rooms I might just go with a really good vapor barrier, but this is on our main floor with some really long runs. I'm doing it myself, and I can tell you that glue makes it the install much much slower. And you can be certain there will be glue on the floor that you have get up quickly. We found that Bostich Ultimate Urethane Remover is the best option for getting up dried glue (Loctite PL Premium).

If you use glue, you will not be using any underlayment. You need to glue directly to the subfloor. Not sure why they said to use both a vapor barrier and glue. The glue does a better job of protecting against those changes which is why it's recommended ... and more expensive.
amyson82
5 years ago
whitsitt, what method did you use to glue down, and has your floor held up well? Thanks
HU-448709452
2 years ago
YDon't
HU-448709452
2 years ago
Do not glue and nail your flooring plywood not only will the install be slot harder the glue will make the floor permanent you will never be able to remove it cause it will damage the subfloor