Video: Are You Using the Right Trowel?

Oct 7, 2015

It's been awhile since I've done one of my Thinking Out Loud videos—today we're going to start a short series where I talk about some quick tips to help your glue-down wood flooring jobs. Here's the first video. Are you using the right trowel for your adhesive? Why does it matter?

The project included 915 square feet of the unusual wood flooring.

Home's Floors Become Giant Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle

January 29, 2025

Sawdust in Our Veins

Sawdust in Our Veins

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Bostik Launches Survey for Pigment-Free Hardwood Products

There are so many more options in today’s wood flooring market when it comes to subfloor prep, moisture control and adhesives.

Things to Consider When Choosing Products for Glue-Down Jobs

Periodically lifting boards after installation helps ensure proper slab coverage and transfer to the back of the flooring.

How Do I Know I’m Getting the Right Adhesive Coverage? (Sponsored)

Extraordinary Floors

Home's Floors Become Giant Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle

Florence, Ky.-based Grain Design Flooring transformed a Cincinnati, Ohio, home into a giant wooden jigsaw puzzle.

The project included 915 square feet of the unusual wood flooring.

Sponsored

Meet the MFMA: Setting the Gold Standard in Sports Flooring

Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association

Since 1897, MFMA has led the way in high-performance, sustainable maple sports flooring. The MFMA is your go-to resource for best practices, product standards and support.

Meet the MFMA: Setting the Gold Standard in Sports Flooring

Bostik Launches Survey for Pigment-Free Hardwood Products

From now until Aug. 30, Bostik (Wauwatosa, Wis.) customers will see pails of pigment-free Vapor-Lock, Pro-Cure, BST and Pro-MSP (4-gallon pail only).

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Things to Consider When Choosing Products for Glue-Down Jobs

Products for subfloor prep, moisture control and more when gluing down a wood floor are always changing; here are some factors to consider when doing a glue-down job.

There are so many more options in today’s wood flooring market when it comes to subfloor prep, moisture control and adhesives.

How Do I Know I’m Getting the Right Adhesive Coverage? (Sponsored)

We’re often asked, “What is the right coverage for the adhesive I’m using?” Clearly, coverage of adhesive plays a critical role regarding the success of any wood floor installation.

Periodically lifting boards after installation helps ensure proper slab coverage and transfer to the back of the flooring.

The Three Types of Adhesive Chemistry and What to Know

There really are three basic types of wood floor adhesive chemistry. Understanding these different types should help you understand what each type can and cannot do, and help identify or, better still, avoid installation-related problems.

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Wood Flooring Q&A: Can We Use Construction Adhesive For Wood Flooring?

Using a general construction adhesive, like Liquid Nails or Gorilla Glue, isn't recommended when installing wood flooring. Here's why.

Adhesive used with any wood flooring should be elastomeric, which allows it to move with the wood as it shrinks and swells with changes in relative humidity.

Tricks of the Trade

Trick of the Trade: Putting the Squeeze on Leftover Adhesive

Sean James, owner/contractor at Santa Cruz, Calif.-based SJ Hardwood Floors, offers an easy tip for leftover adhesive.

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Tips To Avoid Trouble on Engineered Flooring Installations

There’s a lot of science behind this engineered flooring, and if you don’t follow directions, you might have complications down the line. Here are seven important tips to know to avoid trouble when working with engineered wood flooring.

If you have poor prep, you’ll have a poor install, so we make sure the subfloor is clean and as flat as possible.

A New Wide Plank Floor Makes Noise. Was the Glue the Problem?

After replacing the floor with a glued-down 7-inch-wide engineered plank, the wood floor became loose and began to make noise.

This concrete subfloor was too smooth for the flooring adhesive.

Do These Three Things On Every Glue-Down Install

If you do these three simple steps on every glue-down wood flooring job, your chances of success greatly increase.

Common problems with glue-down installations: Left, destructive testing showed this installer used the wrong trowel. Right, the subfloor was not flattened before installation.

Tricks of the Trade

Trick of the Trade: Put Hot Glue To Work On Glue-Downs

Daniel Reddy at Villa Park, Ill.-based Reddy’s Hardwood Flooring Inc., has some simple uses for hot glue guns that make wood floor installations easier.

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Sponsored: Glue-Down Installation of Hardwood Flooring Can Be Successful on a Wide Variety of Substrates ... Even Over Existing Floorcoverings

When doing glue-assist, it’s important to use an adhesive formulated specifically for wood flooring.

Hardwood Nail-Down Installation

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