Installations: Adhesives Overview

If you are you using any other hardwood flooring installation method other than “floating” the floor, you’ll end up using some sort of adhesive to keep your new hardwood floor “permanently” attached to your subfloor. Hardwood flooring installers and your authorized Wood Monsters reseller location will be able to assist you in determining which adhesive should be used based on your particular flooring situation and installation needs.

There are generally four types of hardwood flooring adhesives: water-based, solvent-based, urethane-based and powder.

Water

Water based adhesives have some of the lowest emissions when it comes to VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and are among the first choice for use amongst those with health concerns or who want to make “greener” choices during this project. They are safe for installation but these cannot be used on every type of wood or subflooring system.

Solvents

Solvent based adhesives have been around since hardwood floor installers of old switched from using tar and asphalt based products. These have evolved over the years and have proven to offer a wider range of application possibilities. The solvents are non-hazardous and their various odors will disappear within the first few weeks after installation is finished.

Urethane

The urethane based adhesives offer a blend of benefits from both the water-based and solvent-based products. Because of this the urethane types have the most availability choices of application. On the downside, these adhesives are also typically more expensive than the other adhesives on today’s market. Urethane based adhesives are preferred to use in almost every installation situation because they will work even in less than “ideal” conditions and on just about every type of subflooring system.

Powder

These adhesive types work in a similar way that the water based ones do, except they come in powder form. You mix water into the blend on-site prior to installation. This can cut down on shipping and transportation costs especially if you’ll be using a lot of adhesive for your project. The powder based adhesives use a cement type of compound within the mixture that traps the water, resulting in less swelling of the wood planks compared to the temporary swelling that is seen with the water based adhesives.