ᐅ Is it possible to install hardwood flooring by gluing it yourself, or is it better to hire a professional?

Yes, it should. Just like click laminate flooring.
However, I have seen "single-strip" click laminate flooring installed in a herringbone pattern at friends’ houses (in Vienna, not sure if this is available in Germany as well). It looked really good.

Your reference is probably a click-lock engineered wood floor installed as a floating floor, possibly even on an uneven subfloor? If it’s glued down properly on a suitable subfloor, it shouldn’t gap that easily. Alternatively, you could choose one with beveled edges, which makes gaps less noticeable visually.

The issue is less about visible gaps and more about the joints (unlike the “seams” between the boards within a single element) darkening significantly over time. Moisture inevitably gets in, causing oxidation, maybe some dirt as well, and then you end up seeing two clean joints and one darker one. In my opinion, this just looks cheap and like laminate. Chamfering the edges only emphasizes every third joint, so it doesn’t help at all. What works well, however, are floorboards, whether with or without bevels. In that case, even a good-quality laminate is acceptable because the visual problem doesn’t occur in the first place.

In case future home builders happen to come across this.

Bookstar schrieb:

That’s exactly it. With DIY videos, you can now do a lot yourself. I installed the parquet flooring myself without any issues. The floor seller even lent me the tools for free.

I used the replies in this thread as motivation for my parquet installation, and I am now adding my own work to the house. At least on the upper floor, it is a lot of work but definitely doable.

My prior experience was with floating laminate flooring several times. My master-click parquet is basically even easier to install, if it weren’t for all the hassle with the adhesive. I feel like I spend about 40% of the time cutting and preparing, and 60% on preparing and finishing the adhesive.

Snowy36 schrieb:

Yes, the professional estimated three days if he did it himself... wouldn’t that be a bit much for 85 sqm (915 sq ft) if I have it done???

On the upper floor, I’m at about 1.36 sqm/h (14.6 sq ft/h). I hope I can really make good progress in the living/dining room.

OWLer schrieb:

I had previous experience with multiple floating laminate floors. My Meister click parquet is basically even easier to install, if it weren’t for all the hassle with the adhesive. I feel like I spend about 40% of the time cutting and preparing, and 60% on preparing and finishing the glue.

Good to hear! Which Meister model did you choose?

I also planned to install and glue the entire floor myself (150 m² (1,615 sq ft)) but in the end chickened out, since we are running behind schedule and I didn’t want to risk damaging the more expensive parquet under time pressure right before the planned move. So I found a professional who will install the floor for an affordable price.

In the end, it wasn’t the worries about the installation that made the difference, but the proper preparation of the subfloor! Here and there working with leveling compounds, sealing expansion joints, and such fun... In the end, we decided to bite the bullet and pay for the professional work 🙁

netuser schrieb:

Which master model did you decide on?

PD200 Rustic Oak with natural oil finish.

I had originally planned to resin all the joints, but I switched to sealing them before that. It felt a bit too risky. How would I have explained that to my wife? 😉

Next time, I think I would have it done professionally. But I just wanted to do "something" myself on the house.