Glueing engineering wood to concrete

[jacoscar]

I have some engineering wood floor from Wickes; it's the click type mechanism, that I'll install in my downstairs living room

I have the same floor upstairs over fibre underlay and despite having levelled the subfloor and glued the click joints with PVA, it still has the odd creak when stepping over it in some places. This particular click mechanism is bad, some friends have the same and it creaks like hell (they didn't glue the joints); some other have bought a cheap laminate and not even bothered levelling the subfloor, no creaks.

I was then thinking about glueing it directly to the concrete subfloor as it's typically done for non-click floors. I know I paid a premium for the click mechanism but I don't care too much. What glue is best?

 

[crazydaze]

Does the pack say you can glue it?

 

[jacoscar]

Does the pack say you can glue it?

The pack doesn't say anything about glueing, but glueing the joints made it much better while still allowing expansion across 3 upstrairs bedrooms (no thresholds at the doors)

Where I want to glue each plank to the concrete is just a 4x3.5m room (downstrairs living room)

 

[opps]

Is it possible that the creaks are from the floorboards below the laminate.

I really can't imagine that a routed mdf profile in contact with a reverse profile would creak. I have never heard MDF against MDF creak.

 

[opps]

The pack doesn't say anything about glueing, but glueing the joints made it much better while still allowing expansion across 3 upstrairs bedrooms (no thresholds at the doors)

Where I want to glue each plank to the concrete is just a 4x3.5m room (downstrairs living room)

I laid a click laminate floor from Selco a couple of months ago. Hallway and two rooms (knocked through). No threshold bars used anywhere. I didn't need to use glue on the joins.

 

[jacoscar]

Is it possible that the creaks are from the floorboards below the laminate.

I really can't imagine that a routed mdf profile in contact with a reverse profile would creak. I have never heard MDF against MDF creak.

Sorry to contradict you but I have made sure the floor boards were solid before laying the floor (also this same floor creaks over concrete at my friend's house, they didn't glue the joints)

 

[jacoscar]

I laid a click laminate floor from Selco a couple of months ago. Hallway and two rooms (knocked through). No threshold bars used anywhere. I didn't need to use glue on the joins.

That's what I would expect, but apparently I have been very unlucky with this floor and it wasn't cheap

 

[opps]

Sorry to contradict you but I have made sure the floor boards were solid before laying the floor (also this same floor creaks over concrete at my friend's house, they didn't glue the joints)

Fair enough.

I have never experienced it but if it happens over concrete floors, them it is clearly the laminate flooring that is creaking.

That's what I would expect, but apparently I have been very unlucky with this floor and it wasn't cheap

Sorry, I still do not understand why you needed to use glue to stay threshold free. Did you trim away part of the interlocking profile to help you get under the door liners?



In the above area (sorry for the poor state of the image), I started working upwards from the red line, male profile pointing towards the hallway. When It came to starting the hallway, I obviously couldn't tilt the laminated boards under the architraves, so I used off cuts and a hammer to drive them together.

 

[jacoscar]

Fair enough.

I have never experienced it but if it happens over concrete floors, them it is clearly the laminate flooring that is creaking.



Sorry, I still do not understand why you needed to use glue to stay threshold free. Did you trim away part of the interlocking profile to help you get under the door liners?

View attachment 277006

In the above area (sorry for the poor state of the image), I started working upwards from the red line, male profile pointing towards the hallway. When It came to starting the hallway, I obviously couldn't tilt the laminated boards under the architraves, so I used off cuts and a hammer to drive them together.

I first had to use glue because I had to slide the next plank under doorways without having the possibility to lift it at an angle first, so the interlocking profile was removed and pva glue used to keep it together

When I realised that the places where I had used glue didn’t creak, I took it all up and refitted it glueing all the joints; all creaks were gone ( I also read this suggestion on someone’s blog)

Some creaks have come back in some places, especially close to corners where I might have fitted skirting boards too tight


Long story short, I’d like to glue the planks to the concrete to be sure it doesn’t move at all (no movement=no creaks)

 

[opps]

I first had to use glue because I had to slide the next plank under doorways without having the possibility to lift it at an angle first, so the interlocking profile was removed and pva glue used to keep it together

Rather than removing the profile in future, if there in not enough space to tap the plank in, use one of these.

Pull Bar | Flooring Installation Tools - Flooring Online

The Professional pulling bar for Laminate & Timber flooring installation. Visit Flooring Online today for all your timber flooring trade supply needs.

flooringonline.com

It is a bar with a lip that gives you space to use a hammer to drive the planks together even if they are tight up to the skirting.

 

[opps]

If you are sure that you want to glue it down, look at

Adhesive Sausages - Ambience Hardwood Flooring

Floor adhesive sausages make a floor installation a little easier thanks to less mess and their simple application. Ask our sales team for more info.

www.ambiencehardwoodflooring.co.uk

You will need to buy the sausage gun as as well though. You may additionally need to prime the concrete to aid adhesion and to reduce the risk of moisture rising up.

I have laid quite a few laminate floors over the years but do not consider myself to be an authority. I have only glued them down on stair cases. I used solvent based gripfill on the stair treads. The ones on the risers were screwed at the top (screws hidden by the angle bead) and the treads butted up to them

 

[jacoscar]

Rather than removing the profile in future, if there in not enough space to tap the plank in, use one of these.

Pull Bar | Flooring Installation Tools - Flooring Online

The Professional pulling bar for Laminate & Timber flooring installation. Visit Flooring Online today for all your timber flooring trade supply needs.

flooringonline.com

It is a bar with a lip that gives you space to use a hammer to drive the planks together even if they are tight up to the skirting.

I had a pull bar
This is what I mean

There was no way to install plank 5 after plank 4 without sliding it flat (which needs the interlocking mechanism removed and glueing)

 

[opps]

Assuming that you used an oscillating saw to cut through the door liner and architrave, why couldn't you pass it from the top of the image downwards?

Sorry, I am not being critical. For what it is worth, you have every right to proud of your work, It looks great.

 

[jacoscar]

Assuming that you used an oscillating saw to cut through the door liner and architrave, why couldn't you pass it from the top of the image downwards?

Sorry, I am not being critical. For what it is worth, you have every right to proud of your work, It looks great.

Because this click system works by offering up the plank to the previous row at an angle (~30 degrees) and then pushing it down; you also then need to tap it in the longitudinal direction to join with the previous plank in the same row;

The reason I removed the interlocking mechanism is because once the plank is below the architrave I cannot lift it anymore

 

[opps]

Because this click system works by offering up the plank to the previous row at an angle (~30 degrees) and then pushing it down; you also then need to tap it in the longitudinal direction to join with the previous plank in the same row;

The reason I removed the interlocking mechanism is because once the plank is below the architrave I cannot lift it anymore

Going back to my really pants image. I hammered in a board under the door architrave from the other side.