Working with wood floor adhesives is simple. You just need to understand a few tips for using Wood Floor Adhesives like:
Helpful Tips for Wooden Floor Adhesive
- What is my subfloor – Is it Absorbent type ( Plywood, Cement Concrete ) or Non-Absorbent ( Ceramic Tiles, Granite, Marble, etc )?
- Understand the wood flooring that you intend to use: Is it solid timber or engineered timber flooring. The adhesive type varies for both. Also, you need to consider the individual length, thickness, and width of the flooring strip. More thicker, longer and wider, you need to use a more stronger adhesive.
- Examine the subfloor: If the subfloor is weak, it is like building a strong multi-storey building on a weak foundation. Use a small hammer or chisel to test whether the subfloor is strong enough. Look for visible cracks on the floor. A re-enforcing primer like Bona R590 or R410 can be used to strengthen the subfloor in case it is within acceptable limits.
- Check the subfloor for evenness. If the subfloor is uneven, then the adhesive will not have contact with the wood and you will have hollow spots.
- Check whether the subfloor is smooth. If the subfloor is very rough, then the consumption of adhesive will be very high.
- It is important that the subfloor is clean before applying the adhesive. If there is dust or dirt or other residues on the subfloor, clean it properly. It is again a good idea to use a primer here since that will also act as a dust binder.
- In case you are installing over a tiled floor or marble floor, it is a good idea to use light acidic material to remove the dirt and wax on the floor.
- Check whether your subfloor needs damp proofing. This is very important. Use a moisture meter to check the moisture of the concrete. Also see whether there are chances of moisture migration in future ( like rising dampness, moisture migration from nearby water bodies, whether the floor is going to be below or on the ground level, etc ). Bona has specialized damp proofing materials for wooden floors which works with Bona Adhesives.
- It is important that you use the right tool and the right coverage ratio for applying the adhesive on the subfloor. Do not use spot adhesive application method. You need to cover the entire subfloor. It is important that you apply the adhesive on the subfloor and not on the bottom of the wood flooring.
- As mentioned above, the quantity of adhesive depends on the size of the individual flooring strip. The bigger they hare, you need to apply more adhesive per square meter. Bona has specialized trowels for the application of adhesives. For eg, a trowel with 1250 G will apply 1250 grams per square meter which is recommended for thicker flooring. Whereas a trowel with the size 850G will apply 850 grams per square meter.
- Know the open time of the adhesive. Open time of the adhesive is the time you have to put the timber on the adhesive once you apply the adhesive on the floor. It is better to apply adhesive only on that part of the subfloor where you are going to lay within the next 5 to 10 minutes. Otherwise, the adhesive will develop a thin film on top and the adhesion will be poor.
- Always read the directions before the application of the adhesive. It is a good idea to look at the Technical Data Sheet before starting the work. Bona India has all the technical data sheets on its website.
These are the tips for using Wood Floor Adhesives. Hope these tips will help you. Related Article:
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