How Much Glue Is Enough When Installing a Floating Floor?

Construction

• The thin planks of floating floors are made of many layers of wood veneers. very much like plywood. A thin layer of prefinished, attractive wood tops the board and becomes the new flooring surface. The planks either have interlocking channels that snap together, or tongues and grooves that glue together for a tight, permanent installation.

Installation

• Floating floors are so called because they install without being attached to the subfloor. Attached to each other, the boards float on top of rosin paper or thin foam underlayment laid on top of the subfloor. Tongue-and-groove floors are glued to each other and firmly tapped with a rubber mallet ensuring a tight and fast grip. Baseboards and shoe moldings are installed so that they attached to the wall, not the floor, allowing the floor to expand and contract seasonally without splitting.

Glue

• Tongue-and-groove floating floors require a small bead of yellow carpenter's glue in the groove. The glue spreads when the tongue is tapped into place, forming a good hold. If you use too much glue, it squeezes through the joint’s bottom and glues the planks to the paper or foam underneath. Excess glue that shows up on the surface should be immediately removed with a damp cloth.

Tips

• Floating floors are available in many wood species. Some expensive tropical hardwoods, such as Brazilian cherry and tiger wood, are often prohibitively expensive if purchased as solid flooring. Quality engineered flooring is made from real wood veneers. Products made of wood fibers and plastic laminates will not last as long as those made from true wood and durable clear finishes.