I am removing some tiling from my living room. Wood sub flooring, on a non concrete floored house (I forgot what they’re called). I am putting down some lip and groove wood flooring, IIRC, 3/8 inch thick. So, what do I attach it to the floor with? I have heard that glue is the way to go, not nails, is this correct? If so, what kind of glue?
Any help, tips are appreciated.
Thanks,
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I would use both glue and nails. Use a flooring adhesive like this, and an air nailer like this.
The glue will prevent squeaks, then nails will let you put it down and use it immediately.
The nails might be overkill, but that’s me.
This varies by the type of tongue and groove flooring you are using; instructions should be with it. Some thin types, such as pergo laminate, have glue that joins the pieces to each other but not to the floor; in effect the flooring floats, and usually over a surface that you also buy. This surface dampens noise and vibration.
You should get specific instructions from the manufacturer. Thicker tongue and groove flooring is sometimes nailed to the subflooring; there are special nails and drivers (manual and automatic) to make the job easier. Nails are driven at an angle on the tongue side at the top of the tongue.
http://www.easy2diy.com/cm/easy/diy_ht_3d_index.asp?page_id=35749224 e.g.
I would tell it, “Wood flooring, you suck. You let people walk all over you. Show some self-respect. Straighten up,” like that.
[Emphasis mine] Glue might be a horrible idea, depending on the product. And some is not nailed at all, in order to allow it to shrink and expand.
I did wood flooring 7 years ago with 3/4" thick planks. I’d suggest buying a DIY book from Lowes/Home Depot or something to get an idea of what the benefits disadvantages of each method are, and the little tricks that get you through tough spots.
I put the planks down with a pneumatic stapler, the foot of which is shaped to hang over the edge of the plank and drive the staples into the tongue at a 45-degree angle; this orientation locks the tongue of each piece down, and also drive each plank firmly against the previous rows as the staple is driven in. Because of the shape/length of the stapler’s foot, the first row gets laid down by hand, wtih top-down nailing near the groove edge and 45-degree angled nailing at the tongue; you may have to pre-drill to avoid splitting the wood. Second row gets hand nailed too, but just at the tongue. Once that’s done, you can go crazy with the pneumatic stapler.
A couple of years later I helped a friend lay flooring with 3/8" planks. This used a different pneumatic stapler and lighter staples. We found that the 3/8" planks have a greater tendency to split, so we had to be more careful about putting staples near the ends of the planks.
If you’ve got a few friends involved, and not much area to do, you might get away with renting a stapler for a couple of days. If you’re understaffed and/or you’ve got a large area, consider buying the stapler (maybe a reconditioned or used one, see www.toolking.com), and then reselling it later; that will let you take your time doing the job.
Both these tidbits should be repeated. Also the recommendation to get specific instructions from the manufacturer regarding the product you purchased. There is no standard for this type of installation, so double check the instructions before you begin.
Goodluck!
Judging from watching my parents installing laminate…swearing and yelling. Lots of both.
I am a homebuilder / carpenter.
Ditto what others have said regarding manufacturers instructions. There are many types of flooring, and they all have specific installation techniques.
Also note there is often an easy installation system promoted for the DIY customer, usually professional installers will refuse to use such methods.
I really recommend looking around for a professional installer. Unless you are marginally employed, it likely isn’t really worth your time. Currently in my area the going rate for Hardwood flooring (that’s the real stuff, laminate is cheaper) installation is $2.50 - $3.00 CAD a square foot. If you haven’t done this before, plan on paying yourself minimum wage or possibly much less and end up with a final job that is probably of inferior quality.
You will be bending over or on your knees the whole time, the last four or so rows against a wall are really a pain in the ass, as are any interfaces with other flooring, stairs etc. You will also need to rent or acquire a flooring stapler, compressor, and fasteners.
Laminate is certainly easier but I have seen so many botched laminate installations that I wonder if it ever gets installed properly.
If you do do it yourself, make sure you get all the information you can, so it gets done right.