Engineered Flooring Installation

[Dennis McDonaugh]

What type of adhesive should be used to glue down engineered flooring to a concrete slab? Can you use regular construction adhesive or is there a special floor adhesive?

thanks,

[Lee DeRaud]

The two obvious answers:
1. whatever the manufacturer recommends
2. nothing

Seriously, all the stuff I've seen is intended to "float" when installed over slab. What kind of flooring is it?

[frank shic]

AVOID glue if possible! there are plenty of brands that do NOT require glue.in wodoworking glue is often a necessary step but not in flooring. it's hard enough laying down the stuff without trying to avoid getting glue all over your hands, your clothes and the planks. i put down FLOATING laminate floors before we moved into our townhome and i'm glad that i didn't pick a brand which required glue. the weight of the entire floor is more than enough to keep the thing from moving.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Its an engineered flooring made by Mannington, 3/8 ply T&G. I'm matching flooring already installed in the front entry, living room and dining room--it was glued to the concrete slab and its held up fine for five years. I'm installing matching flooring in two hallways and on the stairs. The instructions that came in the box are not very complete i.e. "use an appropriate adhesive and the recommended trowel size". I think I need a urathane floor adhesive, but I'm also looking for a brand recommendation and source.

[Lee DeRaud]

Like I said, check with the manufacturer:
http://www.mannington.com/residential/downloads/service/install/11_glue_down_installation.pdf
Apparently they have an adhesive made just for that stuff.

[Ken Garlock]

Go to the orange borg and look over the "PL" brand urethane adhesives. PL has been making construction adhesives for up wards of 50 years. PL was a brand label of B F Goodrich, but now is its own company.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Ken, I'll check that out too. Richard Wolfe had recommended I use PL adhesive to glue oak stair treads to my existing stairs. I didn't know I could glue wood to concrete with it.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

I need to handle one other problem with this installation. The hall I'm putting the wood floor in has a step up halfway down the hallway. The step isn't exactly straight or square which wasn't a problem when it was covered by carpet. Now that its going to be wood, it becomes an issue. I need to attach a wooden riser to square up the edge of the step. I'm thinking of attaching it with adhesive and concrete anchors and use wooden shims behind. Sound like a good plan?

[Charlie Plesums]

I am a fan of PL construction adhesive (a far better polyurethane glue than Gorilla, IMHO), but it is quite different than the special adhesive I got to attach wood flooring to a concrete slab. Both available at the borg.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Won't you be needing a vapor barrier on the concrete?

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Cliff, if I understand the instructions correctly, if there is a vapor barrier below grade and the flooring is above grade you are okay to glue it down. If the flooring is to be below grade, then it should not be glued down.

[Phillip Lautier]

I know the type, have installed it before and suggest Bostik's EFA (yellow) or Bostik's Best (red) and I believe a 1/8x3/16 trowel. I did mine in three foot runs in open room and 2 to 3 board widths at a time around the door jambs. messy stuff though i suggest the adhesive remover its worth its weight.
also, for tht riser could you screw/anchor a piece of stock and tack the rieser covering up with nosing?

[Mike Wilkins]

I installed Bruce engineered flooring in my own home, using their brand of flooring adhesive. I believe the same adhesive would be used regardless of what the substrate is. I originally wanted to nail it in, but particleboard underlayment does not hold nails well, so it was glue.
3 years without a hitch and the floor still looks great and cleans up easily.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

I know the type, have installed it before and suggest Bostik's EFA (yellow) or Bostik's Best (red) and I believe a 1/8x3/16 trowel. I did mine in three foot runs in open room and 2 to 3 board widths at a time around the door jambs. messy stuff though i suggest the adhesive remover its worth its weight.
also, for tht riser could you screw/anchor a piece of stock and tack the rieser covering up with nosing?

That's what I plan Philip. I ordered a piece of nosing for the step. Originally I had intended to use engineered wood on the stairs too, but the nosing piece cost $52 and is only 7' long. My stairs are 4' wide and I'd have wasted 3' on each step. I'm going to remove the tread and replace it with solid oak.

I didn't get any adhesive remover as I was hoping paint thinner would work. Do you know what was in the adhesive remover?