Laminates are widely used in houses floor as they imitates the presence of real hard wood. Laminates can be more durable than natural wood, as some manufacturers provides a 20 to 25 years warrantee. Laminates flooring are highly resistant to moisture damage, stains and fading. Furthermore, laminates flooring are cheap, which is a game changer regarding the quality and the durability that laminate flooring provides.
The questions that rise when coming to install laminate flooring in a house is that: Should laminate flooring be glued down ? And if yes, which glue should I us ? And how to do that ?
Normally, laminate flooring don’t need to be glued down as they’re classified as a floating floor, and need to be free to expand and contract with temperature changes from winter to summer. Although, you can use glue to fix laminates in some places that you can’t risk walking on a floating floor such as your stairs for example.
In the following sections, we’ll walk you through answers of the most asked questions about the conjunction of glue & laminate flooring. So you can decide right after what’s best for your case.
Does Laminate Flooring Need Glue ?
Laminate flooring are sheets of melamine resin and fiberboard that are topped by a aluminum oxide layer that prevents it from stains and other damages. This multi-layer sheets can be placed on the floor giving the sensation of wood or stone, with a much affordable cost the real hardwood.
Laminate flooring are designed to float on the actual floor, so it can expand or contract depending on the temperature, humidity, moisture, and the weight above it. For this fact, it’s suitable to not glue down laminate floor, as this may cause fracturing or edges damage.
On the other hand, gluing laminate flooring to the subfloor underneath is widely used to avoid any instabilities and to prevent planks to be detached from the floor due to moisture damages. Furthermore, as laminate flooring is a “floating floor” you won’t risk to trust it in some critical spots such as your house stairs for example, so it would be a good idea to glue the laminate in that case.
However, using glue to install your laminate flooring is a messy and time consuming task we should say ! While there are other options including the click mechanism that would be as durable and practical, and way more too easy to deal with.
So does laminate flooring need glue ? Yes and no, it depends on where you’re installing your laminates flooring, and how much traffic you expect to walk on the flooring laminates.
What Glue to Use for Laminate Flooring ?
First things first, AVOID USING WATER-BASED GLUE, as this types of glue tend to be absorbed by the laminate sheet causing it to be separated from the floor underneath. On contrary, the best glue for laminate flooring to be used is urethane-based glue.
Urethane-based adhesive is a two-part adhesive that do not need moisture to cure. It bonds very well to plastic, wood and concrete and the most important it’s not going to be absorbed by your laminate flooring.
This kind of adhesive sustain some kind of flexibility when cures, and ensure some kind of vibration resistance which is a great thing for a high traffic floor.
Some people tend to use super glue such as gorilla super glue, which is not right, because this kind of super glue cause foaming to form, which will damage your laminate flooring.
What Happens if you Glue Down a Floating Floor ?
If you glue down a floating floor such as laminate flooring, you will present it from contracting of expanding when temperature changes by seasons. This can cause your floating floor to damage and detach from the floor underneath.
On the other hand, gluing down your floating floor will enhance the durability and the sturdiness of your floating floor, and prevent it from moisture damages.
Glue Laminate Flooring to Wall
Using laminate flooring to wall is becoming more and more popular nowadays. They’re cheap and stylish which make them a very good option to decorate your wall.
When it comes to installing laminate flooring on your wall, you have the option to stick them using glue or a dedicated adhesive. And the last thing you would like to see is planks falling of from your wall.
The failure of the bonding can occur easily because of the amount of moisture that your walls can hold, and that can damage the bonding of the flooring laminates with your wall. So keep in mind that before using any type of glue, clean your walls from any moisture.
The best glue to use for sticking flooring laminates to wall is a urethane-based glue. This type of two-part adhesive is perfect as it delivers the best durability and bonding for your flooring laminates with your wall. It doesn’t need moisture to cure and it’s flexible enough to maintain any kind of vibrations.
On the other hand avoid any water-based glue that can be absorbed by your flooring laminates causing failure of the bonding.
Glue for Laminate Flooring Joints
After installing the laminate flooring planks on your house floor, you may need to secure the joints so you secure the joints from moisture. For this purpose, you will need to glue your laminate flooring joints to ensure a higher durability and sturdiness.
The best type of glue for laminate flooring joints is Silicone caulk or an urethane-based glue. These two options deliver : strong bonding, sealing of moisture and flexibility that will keep the laminate flooring expand and contract as needed.
On the other hand, don’t use water-based types of glue, which will cause moisture damage to your laminate flooring.
Glue for Laminate Flooring on Stairs
Use urethane-based glue that is strong and flexible enough to stick your laminate flooring on stairs and support all kind of traffic that pass through. On the other hand, avoid using water-based glue such as PVA glue, which will not deliver the best moisture sealing, causing your flooring laminate to get damaged easily.
