ᐅ Is it possible to glue down a floating parquet floor afterwards?
Created on: 12 Aug 2021 15:13
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X_SH5_XHello everyone,
we remodeled a house last year (and are still partly working on it). With a project like this, you learn a lot and realize you would do some things differently.
One of those things for me is the floating parquet floor. We installed plank flooring measuring 2200x180x12mm (87x7x0.5 inches) floating on a layer of impact sound insulation. We had an issue where the screed was slightly higher in one room, so we leveled it out a bit by adding more sound insulation to match the height. That’s not really what bothers me. What bothers me is that the floor, especially in the hallway where there is heavy foot traffic, squeaks. The noise is most noticeable at the joints between the floorboards. Probably the subfloor wasn’t even enough—I thought the sound insulation would help compensate for that.
Now I’m wondering if it makes sense and is possible to take up the parquet and glue it down afterward. Would I need to apply a leveling compound on the screed beforehand to get a perfectly flat, even surface? Or is it enough to just glue the boards down as they are, since the boards would then be fixed firmly in place?
In the area where we previously tapered the impact sound insulation, I would probably have a friendly tile installer fill that area with some sloped leveling compound.
What else should I keep in mind? The baseboards on the walls are glued down, but hopefully they can be removed and reused. The doors have not yet been sealed at the bottom with silicone, so that should not be a problem. The transitions between rooms are covered with thresholds, so those shouldn’t be an issue either.
The question is whether this is actually worth the effort or if I might just make things worse afterward 😉
I’m considering starting with a small room (13m² / 140ft²) to test this out. What are your opinions?
Oh, and please, no advice like “just glue it down from the start” or “it’s best to have a professional do it right away”... thanks!
we remodeled a house last year (and are still partly working on it). With a project like this, you learn a lot and realize you would do some things differently.
One of those things for me is the floating parquet floor. We installed plank flooring measuring 2200x180x12mm (87x7x0.5 inches) floating on a layer of impact sound insulation. We had an issue where the screed was slightly higher in one room, so we leveled it out a bit by adding more sound insulation to match the height. That’s not really what bothers me. What bothers me is that the floor, especially in the hallway where there is heavy foot traffic, squeaks. The noise is most noticeable at the joints between the floorboards. Probably the subfloor wasn’t even enough—I thought the sound insulation would help compensate for that.
Now I’m wondering if it makes sense and is possible to take up the parquet and glue it down afterward. Would I need to apply a leveling compound on the screed beforehand to get a perfectly flat, even surface? Or is it enough to just glue the boards down as they are, since the boards would then be fixed firmly in place?
In the area where we previously tapered the impact sound insulation, I would probably have a friendly tile installer fill that area with some sloped leveling compound.
What else should I keep in mind? The baseboards on the walls are glued down, but hopefully they can be removed and reused. The doors have not yet been sealed at the bottom with silicone, so that should not be a problem. The transitions between rooms are covered with thresholds, so those shouldn’t be an issue either.
The question is whether this is actually worth the effort or if I might just make things worse afterward 😉
I’m considering starting with a small room (13m² / 140ft²) to test this out. What are your opinions?
Oh, and please, no advice like “just glue it down from the start” or “it’s best to have a professional do it right away”... thanks!
X_SH5_X schrieb:
And with that, the creaking should be gone, or could there be other causes besides the missing adhesive?Yes, it could be due to a subfloor that is too soft. Could you specify what type of underlayment was installed beneath it? Another possibility is that the subfloor is too uneven, causing the floorboards to expand too much when walked on.
Floor layers learn their trade through an apprenticeship period of about 3.5 years, followed by further experience during their journeyman phase. They learn what constitutes a proper substrate, what is necessary to securely bond mineral-based leveling compounds to the substrate, and for long planks, they measure the moisture content of the wood before gluing, as this material can expand significantly due to swelling pressure.
They also learn that the correct angle of the notched trowel must be maintained during gluing, changing the notched edge when it becomes worn down, to ensure the proper amount of adhesive is applied for securing the parquet flooring.
None of this can be learned casually from DIY literature! Therefore, my well-intentioned advice is to leave such trades to professional companies that can recognize the many potential pitfalls—in contrast to DIY enthusiasts.
Spending more money in the right place can often be the more economical option. At this point, I would like to share a case I handled in the past: a DIYer glued parquet flooring firmly in his living room but, for aesthetic reasons, did not leave an expansion gap around the edges. The parquet adjusted to the room’s climatic conditions (during one summer) and due to swelling pressure, pushed the gable end of the house’s exterior wall outward by 5cm (2 inches).
As a result, a structural engineer had to be called in. Although the floor was cut free, structural support measures had to be carried out. Ultimately, the amount the homeowner lost in a court case over this period could have paid for a trip to the Maldives with his wife while a professional flooring company carried out the work.
Not every trade should be placed in the hands of amateurs!
--------------------------
Sincere advice: KlaRa
They also learn that the correct angle of the notched trowel must be maintained during gluing, changing the notched edge when it becomes worn down, to ensure the proper amount of adhesive is applied for securing the parquet flooring.
None of this can be learned casually from DIY literature! Therefore, my well-intentioned advice is to leave such trades to professional companies that can recognize the many potential pitfalls—in contrast to DIY enthusiasts.
Spending more money in the right place can often be the more economical option. At this point, I would like to share a case I handled in the past: a DIYer glued parquet flooring firmly in his living room but, for aesthetic reasons, did not leave an expansion gap around the edges. The parquet adjusted to the room’s climatic conditions (during one summer) and due to swelling pressure, pushed the gable end of the house’s exterior wall outward by 5cm (2 inches).
As a result, a structural engineer had to be called in. Although the floor was cut free, structural support measures had to be carried out. Ultimately, the amount the homeowner lost in a court case over this period could have paid for a trip to the Maldives with his wife while a professional flooring company carried out the work.
Not every trade should be placed in the hands of amateurs!
--------------------------
Sincere advice: KlaRa
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