Floating or glue down: a simple guide to laying your engineered oak floor

When you choose an engineered oak floor, there is one more decision to make: how it will be laid. The floor can float on an underlay, or it can be glued straight down to the subfloor.

Both are good options. The right one depends on your home, your subfloor and how you want the floor to feel.

What is a floating floor?

A floating floor is not fixed to the subfloor underneath. The planks join together along their edges and ends, and the whole floor sits on a thin underlay. The floor can move a little as one piece as the seasons change.

That is why your installer leaves a gap of 10 to 15 mm around the edges of the room, hidden under the skirting, and keeps the floor clear of walls, pipes and door frames. Silicone or caulk around the edges should never be used, because it stops the floor moving freely.

What is a glue down floor?

With a glue down floor, each plank is stuck directly to the prepared subfloor with a flexible timber floor adhesive. The floor becomes firmly tied to the slab or subfloor below.

Many people find a glued floor feels more solid underfoot. Glue down takes more preparation, and the adhesive needs time to set.

Start with your subfloor

The subfloor is the surface your new floor sits on, usually a concrete slab or timber.

First, it needs to be flat. Bumps and dips can show through the finished floor. Your installer should check the subfloor and level it if needed, following the installation guide for your floor.

Second, it needs to be dry enough. Your installer should test the subfloor for moisture before laying and follow the installation guide, which explains when an extra moisture barrier is needed.

When floating makes sense

Floating is often quicker to lay, because the planks are not glued to the subfloor.

A floating floor goes down over a 2 or 3 mm closed cell foam underlay with a plastic moisture barrier, and the joins are glued. If you live in an apartment, check your strata rules about hard floors and noise before you decide.

When glue down makes sense

Glue down is often chosen where a firm, solid feel matters most, or where the layout calls for it. Herringbone, for example, can only be glued down. On stairs, the boards must always be glued to each tread and riser, with matching stair nosing on each step.

Any run longer than 20 metres needs an expansion joint, whichever method you choose.

Underfloor heating

Only heating built into the slab, such as hydronic heating, is recommended. On slab heating is not. The heat is raised by 2 degrees a day and the floor surface must never go above 27°C.

Before you choose

Engineered oak is not suitable for bathrooms, laundries or other wet or steamy rooms. Keep the boxes closed until the day they are laid, as our boards arrive ready to install. Keep indoor humidity between 30 and 65% all year.

Vero and Forever can go either way

Our Vero and Forever engineered oak collections can be laid as a floating floor or glued down. You and your installer can choose the method that suits your home.

The warranty is the same whichever method you pick, as long as the floor is laid exactly as the installation guide describes. For commercial spaces, talk to your retailer first, as commercial warranty is on application.

Questions to ask your installer

Before work starts, ask your installer which method they recommend for your home and why. Ask how they will check that the subfloor is flat and dry, and whether they will give you the test results. Ask when you can walk on the floor. For a floating floor, the glue in the joins needs 24 hours to cure before use.

Find Vero and Forever near you

The Flooring Lab is a wholesaler, so we supply our floors through flooring retailers rather than selling direct. To see and feel Vero and Forever in person, visit your local flooring retailer.

Need help finding a retailer near you, or have a question about floating or glue down installation? Get in touch through our contact page and we will point you in the right direction.

This is general information only. Always follow the installation guide for your floor and the advice of a qualified installer.