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_X
Hello 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!
hampshire schrieb:
These statements don’t contradict each other. If you do the work yourself, you have to be prepared to either pay some tuition fees, so to speak, or accept compromises in quality. You’re doing that without complaining, so it’s all good. Respect for the skills of the experts is always appropriate. You can find them both among professionals and among DIY enthusiasts.That’s exactly what I’m doing. I have respect for the craftsmen and their work. But there are certain things that a hobby builder tends to feel confident doing, like laying parquet flooring. And it’s no problem if it’s not perfect, except that creaking is really annoying. Now I have several replies here… from just leaving it alone to giving it a try.
We’ll see what I end up doing. I wanted to get some information first to see if it’s generally feasible. Thanks.
Basically, parquet flooring is a natural product, and all parquet will creak. It just does, even if it is fully glued down. However, this is also a sign of quality. It’s simply part of the material. Wood needs to expand and contract, both in summer and winter, in humid and dry conditions. This applies regardless of the type of parquet you choose.
The core layer or substrate is almost always made of spruce and fir. On top of that is the wear layer made of high-quality hardwoods. Since these layers react differently to environmental changes, the parquet creaks. When parquet is glued down, it should only be solid wood parquet without a core layer.
The core layer or substrate is almost always made of spruce and fir. On top of that is the wear layer made of high-quality hardwoods. Since these layers react differently to environmental changes, the parquet creaks. When parquet is glued down, it should only be solid wood parquet without a core layer.
Durran schrieb:
Basically, parquet is a natural product. And every type of parquet will creak. And it does. Even if it’s glued down. However, this is also a sign of quality. It’s just part of it. Wood has to move. Summer and winter. In humid and dry conditions. It doesn’t matter which parquet you choose.
The base layer or substrate is almost always spruce and fir. On top of that is the wear layer made of high-quality hardwood. Because these two materials react differently, the parquet creaks. If parquet is glued down, it is only solid hardwood parquet without a substrate. It really depends on how much it creaks and in how many places. I find creaking in the hallway with almost every step quite annoying.
In older apartments, I accept creaking as part of the character, but in new builds or renovated houses, I do not.
Is it only possible to glue solid hardwood parquet?
I installed about 120 square meters (1300 square feet) of Doussie parquet throughout the house. It is a very beautiful, warm, but also hard wood. The core layer is made of spruce with tongue and groove joints. Some planks are long, measuring 2.00 meters (6 feet 7 inches) or 1.20 meters (4 feet) in length. The flooring is installed as a floating floor. It creaks from time to time, but to me, it always gives the feeling of an old villa. I like it and wouldn’t want to miss it. However, I would not glue it down because both the core layer and the top layer are likely to expand and contract independently.