Install a Glue-Down Engineered Hardwood Floor

Hardwood flooring adds warmth and beauty to any room, and is also a great way to increase the value of your home. At Lowe’s, you’ll find a variety of hardwood flooring styles and colors, from domestic species like Oak and Maple to exotics like Brazilian Cherry and Bamboo. Engineered flooring can be installed on any level of the home, but different installation methods are necessary for different types of subfloors. These instructions will show you how to glue down an engineered floor to a concrete subfloor.

Remember that a good flooring installation starts with a correctly prepared subfloor. So be sure to watch the subfloor prep videos and download the instructions at Lowes.com/Videos. We show you how to level your floor, check for excess moisture and mark a starting guideline.

Getting Started

01 Plan on this project taking at least two days for the actual installation. You cannot walk on the floor for 24 hours after it has been glued down, so make sure you leave yourself a way to leave the room without walking on the boards. You’ll have to finish the last few rows the following day.

02 Bring the flooring into the room so the wood planks can acclimate to the room’s temperature and humidity for at least 72 hours before installation. This reduces problems associated with moisture, such as warping and fit. Stack the flooring in a flat position in the room or rooms where it is to be installed and allow it to acclimate.

03 Check the moisture level of the subfloor to make sure the floor is within the manufacturer’s recommendations. If your moisture level is not within manufacturer’s recommendations, stop the installation and call a Lowe’s associate for help.

04 Once you have prepped the subfloor, carefully sweep and vacuum the surface on which the flooring will be installed.

05 There are many types of glue on the market. Since moisture can be an issue for wood flooring, it is best to use a glue that has some type of moisture resistance. Many glue systems have two parts, a moisture barrier that is applied before installation and a glue that works with the moisture barrier to secure the floor. A great example is the Bostik glue system which uses MVP as the moisture barrier and Bostik’s Best as the glue.

06 Check the planks for warping and defects, which typically affect around 5% of the product. These boards are unusable and should be discarded. If more than 5% of the product is defective, stop the installation and call a Lowe’s associate for help.

Installing the First Rows

01 Put on your safety glasses and latex gloves.

02 Place spacers between the flooring and the wall for the expansion gap.

Be sure to check the manufacturer’s recommendations for the appropriate expansion gap.

03 Trowel out enough glue for 2-3 rows at a time since you cannot walk on the glue.

Make sure you have the correct trowel for the type of glue you are using.
Pour glue out of the bucket by tipping the bucket on its side allowing a small amount of glue to pour out.
Use the trowel to cut the glue off.
Trowel the glue by holding the trowel at a 45˚ angle and using enough pressure to make sure the teeth are in contact with the concrete.

04 Using the straightest boards, lay the first row of flooring along the guideline, with the tongue side facing the room.

This will serve as a guide for the rest of the room or house.
Press the wood firmly into the glue to ensure proper adhesive transfer (you want the ridges of the glue from troweling to be in contact with the subfloor and also the back of the plank).
Use the dead blow hammer and gently tap the tapping block against the flooring to ensure a tight fit.
- It is important to use a tapping block so you do not damage the tongue and groove system.

05 For the second row, fit the groove on the tongue of the first row.

Once again, use the dead blow hammer and gently tap the tapping block against the flooring to ensure a tight fit.

06 Place the second row so that the ends are at least 6” apart in each row.

This will help strengthen the floor.
This will also give the floor a staggered look, so you may need to cut the first plank.
To cut the flooring, lay the plank on its face and cut with a circular saw.
- Make sure you’re using the correct blade to cut flooring.
- Make sure you allow for the appropriate expansion gap.

Installing the Rest of the Floor

01 When installing the rest of the floor, mix planks of different colors and grain to give the floor a more random pattern.

You will need to work out of multiple cartons at a time.
TIP: Dry fit a few rows together before you install them to see how they look and speed up the installation.

02 Repeat the process of spreading the glue and setting planks in the glue 2-3 rows at a time.

Continue to stagger the ends at least 6”.
Continue to maintain the expansion gap around the perimeter of the floor.
Occasionally, remove a board and check the back to make sure proper adhesive transfer is occurring.

03 If you have entry areas or columns, cut the planks to fit.

04 Make sure you clean off excess glue on the planks with hardwood flooring cleaner.

Some flooring adhesives require special wipes to clean up the glue.

05 When you near the end of the room, stop and leave enough space so that you can leave the project without walking on the boards.

Wait 24 hours before finishing the installation.
Make sure to put the lid back on the glue.

06 Finish the last few rows by spreading the glue and setting the planks.

Continue to stagger the ends at least 6”.
Continue to maintain the expansion gap around the perimeter of the floor.

07 For the last row, you might have to cut the pieces to fit.

Measure the distance to the wall from the last laid row. Do not measure from the tongue.
Subtract the manufacturer’s expansion gap and cut the last row.
If the width of the last row is less than 1”, glue it to the previous row by placing glue on the tongue.

To fit the last row, place a piece of scrap wood against the finish wall and fit the boards together by gently using the pry bar.

08 Wait 24 hours before walking on the last few rows.

Finishing Up

Once the last row is attached, install the transition pieces according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

02 When your transitions are in place, remove the spacers and install the baseboards and shoe moulding.

Attach the trim and shoe moulding to the walls, not the floor.

03 Keep 1-2 cartons of your hardwood flooring so you can fix any potential problems in the future, like a damaged board.

You can now enjoy your new hardwood floor, its warmth, beauty and ease of cleaning, for decades to come.

For other flooring installations, and other home improvement projects, visit Lowes.com/Videos.

Submit Comments & Photos

0 out of 0 people found this comment helpful. Was this comment helpful?

Flag this comment.

Please feel free to post a comment and someone from LowesCreativeIdeas.com will review your submission. You can check back after 24 hours to see if your comment has been posted.

Fields in BOLD are required to preview and submit your comment.

Your Name (displayed with comment)
close[X]

Instructions

Your email will only be used in the event that one of our moderators needs to clarify your comment. It will be used strictly in the context of or relating to your comment.

Your email will NOT be used for marketing purposes or shared with any 3rd parties.

Your Email
(Why do we ask?)
Your Location (eg, 'Chicago, IL')
Your Photo

Have a photo? Attach it to your comment here.
Make sure your photo meets the following requirements:
Max File Size: 2 MB
File Types: jpeg/jpg, gif
Photos will be scaled to fit this space.

Upload Photo
Your Comment

Character count: 0

(500 character limit)
Enter the above image text

close[X]

If you do not see the security words image:

• Make sure the version of your browser is current. For example, you need to have at least Internet Explorer 5.0 or Netscape 6.0 or higher.

• Make sure your graphics (pictures and images) are turned on or enabled in your browser.

• Refresh your browser and try again. You may want to copy your comment though as it will not be saved.

Can't see the image?

close[X]

Instructions

Please enter the words you see in the box, in order and separated by a space. Doing so helps prevent automated programs from abusing this service.

If you are not sure what the words are, either enter your best guess or refresh the browser for a new set image.

What is this?
Terms & Conditions Terms of Use & Guidelines Lowe’s Creative Ideas Web Community Lowe’s and its affiliates (“Lowe’s”) offer this Creative Ideas Web Community (“Community”) to users to enable them to share projects and ideas and discuss how to use and enjoy a variety of home improvement products and services. If you have questions or concerns regarding a Lowe’s home improvement store or the services or products offered by Lowe’s, please contact at http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=topicSelect&topic=contactUs These Terms of Use & Guidelines (“Community Terms”) govern your use of and conduct associated with the Community, including all comments, information, and any other content submitted by you or other users. If you submit any content on or through the Community, you are acknowledging and accepting these Community Terms, as well as Lowe’s Terms and Conditions of Use (“General Terms”) for Lowes.com and Lowe’s Privacy and Security Statements (“Privacy Terms”). To the extent of any conflict between these Community Terms and the General Terms, Privacy Terms, these Community Terms shall control with respect to the Community. Lowe’s has the right, but not the obligation, to monitor, review, revise, and/or remove any content posted by a user. Lowe’s assumes no liability for any content posted by a user and Lowe’s does not regularly review all such content. You are solely responsible for any content that you submit, the consequences of posting that content, and your reliance on any communications found in the Community. By submitting any content you acknowledge and agree to the following: • Lowe's has the right but not the obligation to display all content you provide for public view; • The content you submit is non-confidential for all purposes; • You are not using a false e-mail address, impersonating any person or entity, or otherwise misrepresenting yourself or the origin of the content you submit; • You represent and warrant that you own or otherwise control all of the rights to content you submit; • All content you post is accurate, truthful, and lawful; • Use of the content you submit does not violate these Community Terms; • Use of the content you submit will not cause injury or harm to any entity or person; • Use of the content you submit will not give rise to any claim against Lowe’s, and the content you submit shall not, in the judgment of Lowe’s, expose Lowe’s or any of its customers or suppliers to any liability or detriment of any type; • You grant to Lowe’s and all Community users an unrestricted, irrevocable, world-wide, royalty-free license (with the right to sublicense through multiple tiers of sublicensees) and right: (i) to use, reproduce, display, perform, modify, adapt, publish, translate, and transmit and distribute your content for any purpose and in any media; (ii) to rate, review, comment on and tag your content; and (iii) to send and distribute your content via E-mail, Instant Messenger or otherwise over or through the Internet or any other electronic communications system; • With regard to any media content that you submit (such as photos, audio, etc.), you warrant that you have permission from all persons appearing in such media content for you to make the submission and grant the rights described herein, and you certify that any person pictured in the submitted media content (or, if a minor, his/her parent/legal guardian) authorizes Lowe’s to use, copy, print, display, reproduce, modify, publish, post, transmit and distribute the media content and any material included in such media content. • You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Lowe's, its affiliates and subsidiaries, and each of their respective directors, officers, employees, shareholders, agents, attorneys, assigns and successors-in-interest, and third-party service providers from and against any and all liabilities, damages, losses, claims, demands, assessments, actions, causes of action, costs (including attorneys' fees and expenses) and any of them, arising out of or resulting from the content you submit, your failure to comply with the terms set forth herein, or your violation of any law or the rights of any third party; • In addition to all other remedies available, you acknowledge that Lowe’s has the right to (i) remove your content from the Community or refuse to include your content in the Community, (ii) suspend or terminate your account or refuse to grant you access to any current or future use of the Community or any other Lowe’s service, with or without warning, if Lowe’s, in its sole discretion, believes you have: (1) violated or tried to violate the rights of Lowe’s or others; or (2) violated or tried to violate or otherwise acted inconsistent with these Community Terms or any other applicable terms or conditions. • Lowe's assumes no liability for any content posted by you or any third-party; and • All content you submit is subject to each of these Community Terms, the General Terms, and the Privacy Terms, collectively. You further agree and represent that you will not submit any content: • that is illegal, obscene, vulgar, offensive, threatening, harassing, defamatory, libelous, slanderous, hateful, abusive, discriminatory, racially or religiously biased or offensive, pornographic, profane, sexually explicit, indecent or embarrassing to any other person or entity, or otherwise restricts or inhibits any other user from using and enjoying the Community; • invasive of privacy, infringing of intellectual property rights, injurious or objectionable to third parties, • that is fraudulent or otherwise constitutes or contains false, inaccurate or misleading indications of origin, endorsement or statements of fact; • that violates, plagiarizes, misappropriates or infringes the rights of third parties including, without limitation, copyright, trademark, trade secret, confidentiality, contract, patent, rights of privacy or publicity or any other intellectual property or proprietary right; • that violates any law, statute, ordinance, code or regulation; • that consists of or contains advertisements, political campaigning, commercial solicitations, chain letters or pyramid schemes of any kind, mass mailings, any form of "spam", embedded links, or references to other products, offers, Websites, URLs, or viruses. For the purposes of these Community Terms, "viruses" includes, without limitation, software routines, codes or instructions, hardware components or combinations thereof, that are designed to (a) permit unauthorized access to software; or (b) disable, delete, modify, damage, or erase software, hardware or data, including, but not limited to, components that are commonly referred to as "viruses," "back doors," "time bombs," "Trojan Horses," "worms" or "drop dead devices"; • that consists of or contains e-mail addresses, phone numbers, physical addresses or other forms of personal or contact information; and • for which you were compensated or provided any consideration by any third party. Lowe's has no obligation to post any content that you or anyone else submits. Without limiting the foregoing, Lowe’s reserves the right not to post your content if it contains any of the following or violates other posted or referenced guidelines: • Keep it clean: Obscenities, profanity, discriminatory language, or other language not suitable for public display. • No ads: Advertising or referencing other products, offers, or websites is strictly prohibited. • No personal information: Email addresses, phone numbers, mailing addresses or other personal information will not be accepted for posting. • No content that identifies any specific store or employee. • No harassing content: Do not attack other users or make overly critical comments regarding other reviews. • No off-topic information. Lowe’s shall have no liability to users of the Community or any other person or entity for refusing or failing to post, or removing, editing, or disclosing, any content that you or anyone else submits. Copyright Infringement If you believe any content accessible on or from the Community (including the content of other users’ posts and submissions) infringes your copyright rights, you may request removal of such content (or access thereto) by submitting a DMCA Notification at http://lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=topicSelect&topic=dmcaNAT. If your submitted content was removed from the Community (or access thereto is disabled) due to an allegation of copyright infringement, and you believe such content is not infringing, or that you have the authorization from the copyright owner, the copyright owner's agent, or pursuant to the law, to post such content, you may submit a DMCA Counter-Notification at http://lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=topicSelect&topic=dmcaCN. In an effort to protect the rights of copyright owners, Lowe’s maintains a policy for the termination, in appropriate circumstances, of the accounts of repeat infringers.
I have read and agree to all of the Terms & Conditions
Please review your comment for accuracy and click submit. To edit your comment, click edit.
Once submitted LowesCreativeIdeas.com will review your submission. You can check back after 24 hours to see if your comment has been posted.

Total Votes: 1

(1)

close[X]

These "social bookmarking" services make it easier to share and manage your favorite online content.

StumbleUpon, digg, and del.icio.us help you gather content from around the web, describe it how you see fit, and tag it for easy sorting. These sites also allow you to see what other people are gathering and tagging (if they've made it public), and find new content that may interest you.

Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace also allow you to share content that you find interesting, with people who visit or subscribe to your personal profile.

(What are these?)