Can you Glue Hardwood Flooring To Concrete?
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
- Yes you can, and I glue together and #install tongue and groove white oak #flooring into panels and glue those sections onto the #concrete floor in my shop using a special glue.
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Forgot to comment: Thank you for the gratuitous golden retriever shots. Love that breed.
My solution to the problem of a hard concrete floor was to put down 2 ft square foam rubber panels with interlocking edges. This made the floor softer and allows me to spend as much time as I want in my shop, without killing my knees and legs. All machinery is on wheels & movable. I have some extra work moving it around as I should have put larger wheels on them. a good thing is that if the panels get too grungy I take them up and hose them down outside or just replace them. The spot under my large band saw had to be left bare as the rubber panels made the machine too unstable. These panels can be found at any home store, but I got them for a great price at COSTCO. The wood looks great, but movement due to moisture in the wood will give you greif, i"m afraid. Note that Table tops are never just attached to their base without special little fittings that let the wood move.
Linn, I like the idea and kudos fore taking up such a labor intensive project! Regarding the other comments: yes, a gap would have been good, but seeing you glued the panels to the concrete, the bows and cups should stay decent, especially seeing the square footage the wood has to move. Plus, heavy machinery wll stand on top of it, hence the moving will anyways be uneven and unpredictable, even with a floating system. The floor will become dirty and look used and this still looks better and rustic in wood than in concrete. So what is the worst case? If one panel edge climbs a bit higher than the other over time, you notice by stumble, knock it down with a chisel or a 80 grid flap disk, make a video out of it and all of us will love it. There are many shops in wood sheds that move entirely like a limbo dancer when seasons change - so what. You did a great job on yours, you will have some learnings, but still enjoy it! 😃
Hey, I like the idea of pre-assembling the hard wood individual tiles to make a bigger block. Brilliant!
Wow, that is a lot of work and expense. My shop is concrete with a sealer applied. The sealer really makes a difference with ease of sweeping up sawdust. I put a 6" shoe molding around the perimeter to protect the (drywall) walls from damage. For glued-up panels I would have used biscuits to align adjacent end-grain panels.
The cost of the wood and the glue is for me is prohibitive really. But it is your money and your project so well done. THAT was some serious work.
You've floored me. Great job.
It appears that you laid the wood right against the wall. Other vids I have seen leave a gap between the wood and the wall so when the boards expand there is room. I am looking forward to what you seal the floor with.
Wouldn't work the same here. The gaps on other installations are done when the floor essentially floats on top of the floor beneath it. When the wood floor expands/contracts/moves, there is room for it along the edges near the wall. In this case, all the wood is glued to the concrete, so it will not be expanding or moving toward any wall edge.
They won't be able to expand like that since they are glued in place.
Oh boy. Wood always moves. Gluing it down will not stop it from moving.
@@charliebrown7592 it will not expand in width.
This is the most labor intensive, painfully expensive, ill-conceived, highly experimental home improvement I have ever seen in my life ... those boards must have some serious gaps all over the many edges and between the boards that were prep'ed, as they will never line up properly ever ... I hope somewhere in that astronomical budget there was lots of wood filler that went down before sanding and finishing the floors ...
Looks awesome and I bet it will feel great to work on! How is it moving heavy things like the table saw or band saw etc. over the little joints?
So weird to see 101 people disliking an honest video like this.
Some peoples' kids, I guess.
Anyway, awesome as always, Linn. Keep 'em coming, and we'll keep watching.
I think people are disliking it because it's TERRIBLE advice.
I would have gone the extra step to put down a subfloor underlayment and moisture barrier and nailed down the floor from there. You'll have less maintenance down the line and better looking floors that last longer.
I do have a question if you glow down your hardwood floor on concreate, do you need a gap between of the floor and the wall
I laid down an oak TandG floor. Allowed a 10mm gap all round and it bowed up. I ended up cutting the floor and increasing the gap to 20mm. Not sure how gluing works out with expansion issues.
Corvallis misses you
I am interested in the technical specs of the product. Specifically if one could use it on concrete that has underfloor heating imbedded in it. Would it be possible or will the fluctuation in heat affect it adversely?
You should contact the company for that info.
How old is your Goldie? Beautiful
Great video! How much of the bostic green force did you need for 2000 square feet?
Thanks! I did about 1,000 sqft and used about 8 buckets, it was around that anyway. And it is working great over a year later.
Great work on the floors Linn! Thank you for sharing the video with us.👌👍😎JP
Hi, Ben from Cibolo TX
Y'all did a G job. There is definitely more than one way to do something. I liked the process very much 👍😁
06:30 until you loss track of the remote like the TV remotes! =)
10:00 ish, high heal work boots?
Carpentry with a hot girl, now I want to build something:) Yuss!
As a tradesman that was hard to watch but I appreciated watching someone do it in an unconventional way
true that
Seriously! You're gonna wind up with big long joints where those panels come together. Watching this really bothered me.
Ouch!
I never installed any type of flooring but it was hard to watch for me as well.
Was. as a floor guy i say daaaaam!!! Not like that !! not even close.
I'm really curious to see how the flexible glue will help with the seasonal expansion of the hardwood floor. It'd be nice to get an update in like a year or two to see how it's done. I noticed you brought the flooring right up to the wall on this side which if that happens on all sides means the floor will want to bow if they expand seasonally but if the glue is strong enough and doesn't get pulled up then they should get pulled back down? I'm not a flooring expert but I know these were things I worried about when doing mine.
I have my doubts about doing a floor like that, but then again, it's a workshop space, it doesn't have to stay pretty. My main worry would be if water were to flow into the garage, possibly from ice in the winter, or a severe rainfall. I'd just paint the concrete floor. Wood is softer, but it has less give than a pair of socks would add to shoes.
Imagine the possibilities for spalting in-place!
Concrete is a very hard and cold surface I think anything you put on top of it will help.
The shop is located a bit on a hill, so I'm not really concerned about any water flowing into the garage. I'm also not too concerned about it staying perfect.
Wow that looks like a lot of work. Appreciate you taking as along to see the experience. Have to admit though that I think it would look better if you hadn't laid it as large panels. I am not even convinced that it saves you time after you consider all the glueing, cutting and routing
Please give us an honest update on how this method works out. I seem some major lifting/warping in your future.
I hope you keep track of the real cost and compare it to the double vapor barrier raised floor method. It will be interesting to see the real world difference.
That is going to look so so nice when completed.Such a great look for a workshop.
Interesting technique. I think the fact that the glued-up panels "look" like panels would bother me. But it is a lot of work for a shop floor.
Lars Sveen she spends a lot of time in her shop. It’s worth it.
I don't have a problem with the panels as a concept, since it's more of a running bond parquet look, so it's not trying to be a traditional hardwood floor with individual boards in a random pattern. I supposed the thing I'd have done differently is to cut the first panel smaller, use it as a template for all the others, and use a flush trim router bit to make them all identical to the template. Even that slick saw with the sliding table isn't accurate enough to eliminate all the visible cracks. Plus being natural wood instead of engineered wood (with non-expanding longitudinal grain running in both directions), it's gonna expand and buckle something fierce in wetter seasons, and open up larger gaps in drier ones. I hope I'm wrong, given the time and expense (and because I like Linn), but radial and tangential grain just simply expands in humid conditions, and no amount of rubbery mastic is gonna change that fact....
sheets 5/8 ply would have quicker single faced with hardwood of your choice then run the router over it
They couldn't deliver the wood?!?
Just as a side note, once I glued my whole T&G, 3/4' doug fir floor together. I put Titebond in the grooves and nailed it down to the subfloor thinking it would help to make a nice tight and solid floor. My plan backfired as several large lengthwise splits appeared in the flooring after a few seasonal changes. I'm sure your floor will be fine as your panels will have some gaps in them between the sections and the glue is made to provide movement. But it was a good lesson for me that you always have to think of the effects of seasonal changes in wood.
Gluing wood on concrete, does it really work? Wood is a living material that moves. I think the wooden boards should be "floating" on the concrete.
I'll let you know :)
actually not living any more, cut , milled, kiln dried, and only subject to atmospheric conditions like humidity or lack there of,unless you seal it
No better way to install wood than to glue it down with bostik adhesive. It will expand and contract with the wood unlike other adhesives that dry ridgid. Only consern I see is it looks like the concrete has a sealer on it which could affect the bond. Also this type of glue will not etch refinished woods and is easy to clean up once dry.
I’d have done what they call a floating floor. You lay down a special plastic foam underlay onto the concrete, and then just glue the wood planks together and lay them on the underlay. Leave a quarter inch gap round the edge for expansion, that you cover with skirting. It looks like you are storing up a lot of problems for later as the wood moves with changes in temperature and humidity.
OldManTony yes it will be hard to remove again that's a fact. And I wonder why the ends are not connected to prevent gaps and level the floor panels it would be easy with what we call "fer and not" in Danish a small piece of wood in a grove
Then how do you fix the pannels to the actual concrete floor?!
Ulimbombo Na Ulindi you don’t fix it to the floor, that’s why it’s called a floating floor
It's my understanding that solid hardwood cannot be floated, only engineered hardwood. Can anyone clarify?
Great process that you decided on for your installation. Working on a wood floor makes it easier on your legs and feet to work on. It will be worth the time and effort of installing it. Its good that you have Matt helping you. Also this will look good when finished. Have you decided what finish that you will apply at the end? Later, Mike :
God I hope it don't expand to much
While I appreciate that you make a living by having sponsors and need to highlight their products, I gave up halfway through this video because it was just a commercial for Rockler. There's one thing using their products in your videos, but this was just over the top, I kept waiting for you to burst into song and sing about Rockler! Too Much!
Your loss.
My opinion, Linn's a nice lady, who puts out great content, interesting projects, entertaining editing skills, production values, etc. If name-dropping Rockler here and there helps her do all that, plus puts a bit of coin in her pocket, who am I to begrudge how someone makes their living? It's still a quality video. I've watched the ad-driven content of commercial broadcast TV all my life. Ain't nothin' free.
Wow!! Tons of moving, tons of gluing, tons of time, tons of work, tons of $$$...!!!:). I guess there won't be many people in this world would consider doing this job in the garage unless they can afford all of the above:))). Great video though:)))!
There is something to be said for getting it down and done. It could give you all kinds of future problems any which way you would have installed it. However, you have the intelligence and fearless, cheerful demeanor to meet any challenge. I think your instinctive idea to lock it down might just have been the right one. It all depends on that glue...and perhaps completely sealing up the wood from absorbing moist, or loosing and gaining back and forth. Marine epoxy and a sturdy transparent layer of fiberglass cloth maybe...? Like a boat. Just a thought, an expensive laborious thought, but maybe not. Even if some problems arise, it could be a boon in viewer traffic and hindsight commenters, and guessperts...like me. I love your projects and how you execute them. So, no real worries, ever about your sensibilities. A 2" higher multilayered floating floor could go all kinds of crazy on a regular basis for all that matter. I'm with you on your decision.
Break-a-leg, or Merde' if you're set to do some dancing on that floor to break it in.
What a tedious job that is, I helped a friend put in a floating floor once it took forever to do. I wish we had your idea of gluing panels together at that time. The new floor is going to make a whole lot of a difference not only in the look of the shop but also in the feel of the space and yes the warmth of the space. great work
The best and easy way to install a floating floor is by just using one layer of foam and the panel timber on it, all panels locked with mortise and tenon, no glue is needed nor nails.
Nice work Linn, looking forward to seeing how it performs over time! 😃👍🏻👊🏻
Holy mother of moo cow, guys!
What a mammoth job you've taken on there...
Looks fantastic, can't wait to see the completion.
Great job. 👍
I applaud your work ethic. It must be a lot easier to stand on than concrete. Also, it would be nice to see a follow up after the floor has been through the seasons and what you would have done differently. If it works out I’d like to do this in my small garage. Thank you for all of your hard work.
It seems like a very long and expensive way of covering your shop floor. I am not sure if just using epoxy covering would have been cheaper and quicker? I would worry about lifting at some stage and also, after spending all that money, I would be upset seeing gouge marks in the timber as benches etc are moved about.
Marks in floor = character :)
Have you considered Dricore subfloor panels? I'm thinking of using them in my own small shop.
Never heard of them.
Can you give us a quick update on how the floor has held up over the year since you first laid it down?
It's been great. I would do it again.
@@darbinorvar what part of the country are you in? Trying to decide if I should attempt this in Louisiana, everything stays pretty wet here
what about expansion and contraction of the wood?
Allan S I was thinking the same thing.
@@morphorod yeah, everything is glued up, no place for movement
At least gaps around the perimeter, $2/sq. ft.worth of special adhesive can't prevent the buckling from expansion...
@@Malandrin
I've seen wood movement do strange things, moisture movement is a very strong force & I suspect it will separate at the glue joint - between concrete and wood, not between boards. This shop will be subject to a lot of humidity swings, I think the first discussed method would be more permanent.
Modern flooring glues are very forgiving as far as movement, but a 1/2" minimum space should be left between the wood and exterior walls. Especially the walls parallel to the grain direction.
I love it my good Friend it looks so awesome,I am so Happy for you Darbin you are so awesome later :)
Miss lovely vlog lot of work, don't they have delivery service ? Just a thought all the best
I just think there goes a lot of work in making panels. You still have to glue everything to the floor.
I love white oak. That's going to be such a nice space when you are done.
It's already starting to come together nicely.
You have boundless energy to take on this project. It should be wonderful when completed. I like your vision of your shop's functionality and appearance.
Gluing wood to concrete has definitely been done a fair amount. I would caution that the concrete seems to be sealed which I would imagine interferes with the glue's effectiveness. Also given that glue is $3k, I think other alternatives would have been better. A floating floor at $3/SF.
You need to get some flooring tools, I laid all the flooring in our house, and the right tools make all the difference. You really need a knocking block, which has the profile of the floorboard in it and can use to tap the boards together, along with a heavy club hammer. A pull bar is also useful as when you reach walls and can't swing the hammer it hooks over the edge and pulls it together.
A great concrete floor to start with, this is just a workspace! the cost and time to me is crazy
however, all you need to do is to lay a floating floor on a damp course and allow for expansion
Dorset, England
Your will to do it yourself and the amount of labour that required, you are simply amazing, lots of respect to you.
I'm so glad your finally getting some nice tools. Makes building things so much safer while making it easier. Please pay attention at all times using those awesome tools. I've had some close calls ,most of the time was because I forgot something. So long story longer, I wrote on the machines the one or two things that are the cause of my mishaps. Plain view to the point reminders. Ok be safe cant wait to see some of what you build in your new garage
Looking good
Interesting approach. Though, I feel it took longer to do it this way.
Sooo much work. You're a champ.
How is your floor after 4 years? Any issues with moisture?
Hello from old Oregon. You are a workaholic!
Looks good, lot nicer than concrete. Will you be putting any kind of finish on it?
Also every epoxy floor installer I've seen uses an industrial sander/grinder to prep the concrete for an acceptable bond before any install so your flooring supplier should have mentioned this
I agree I have sold hardwood flooring for over a decade. Bostik makes amazing glue and done right it will outlast the shop but if the concrete isnt preped properly the glue can not do what it is designed to do. Also not leaving a expantion joint along the wall is just asking for trouble the wood is going to expand and contract with humidity change and will cause either excessive shrinkage or buckling. Your salesman should have covered this with you expecially if you told them your a diyer and this was the first time using the adhesive.
hope we get an update on how it holds up a year or so later
Ambitious project, but that's really no surprise. I have no doubt there might be different (not necessarily better) processes one might choose, but the panels seem to be working and , for a work space, they seem perfectly appropriate. Too bad there isn't some way to have another person dedicated to gluing up panels while you and hubby do the actual installing. Awesome job, Linn!!
Thanks Larry!
Fantastic and massive job, Linn! 😮
But it's turning out beautiful!!! 😃
Thanks!
Love your table saw never seen that before
If you, or anyone after you has to remove this flooring for any reason I feel bad for them....I had to pull up wood flooring that was glued to the concrete slab and it was the worst job I have had to endure.....back breaking work even with machinery, and the chemicals to get the glue off the concrete are really nasty....lots of chemical burns on the skin....not fun...
Knees look like they are in for a hard time!
The flooring looks great! Enjoying the project thus far.
After looking through the comments. I can say, not a single hardwood floor guy or gal has watched this.
That is what I was thinking.....
I’m a hardwood flooring guy (20years), it’s not the way I would have done it and I see a lot of potential problems down the road but I really admire the creativity and willingness to try it out. Not a lot of people would even try doing a project like this, even guys with lots of construction experience. It’s is not easy at all and there is a small margin for error when gluing to concrete, if you mess up and have to tear something out that glue can easily take the concrete with it when tearing out. All in all I give her props for the effort and creativity.
That's because we're all dumbfounded.
Never would I ever....wow hardwood needs to be staggered.
Fantastic work, I've been using Greenforce to glue down my solid strand bamboo flooring here in our house (slab downstairs), and one advantage is you can also use the glue over OSB or wood subfloors. The glue not only provides a moisture barrier but if you make sure your subfloor is level it also prevents a lot of the sound of people walking upstairs. One thing I would recommend, if anyone else is planning to use Greenforce, is to make sure your slab is level first as the glue can only fill about a 1/8" to 3/16" gap. Our slab was level in the master bedroom but the dining and living rooms needed leveling (SL-150 from Bostick works great), and to check level I can't recommend the water level from Make Build Modify here on UA-cam. Also, you really should sand down any existing sealer from the concrete slab before adding the glue, it's not like laying down tile, and that makes this process a bit of a PITA. I'm not sure if the salesman mentioned that to you, but it could be the garage wasn't sealed so you should be fine, but Greenforce requires a rough surface to bite and get a good bond.
HI, Sean. I am about to install hardwood on concrete of 25 yrs old house. Do I need to seal prior to applying Greenforce or just Greenforce only? thank you in advance!
@@alhambra119 The process I used was to abrade the concrete surface to remove any existing sealant (I used a 7" grinder and a diamond cup wheel... still feel that in my knees to this day) as the glue formulation I used would not properly adhere to a sealed surface. The Greenforce product I laid down acted as a moisture barrier but you need to take care to properly apply it with the correct trowel and cover the entire surface. So if your slab is unsealed then you can just begin gluing the boards down-assuming you leveled the floor if needed.
@@SeanFoushee
That sounds so much labor intensive. I am sure you're enjoying your hard work.
Bostik confirmed to me the concrete should be porous, so I don't need sealant as you said which saves me money and labor.
Thank you so much for your time and kind explanation to a stranger like me! God bless!
Does make sense at all the joint lines are too long
Hi this was great to watch and great job! I was going to do the same thing but wanted to see how your floor had held up? How level is your concrete floor? Mine is relatively uneven...
this is a couple years old now, what does it look like now? particularly interested in any expansion and the edges close to the wall
I asked the same question and she commented that it's been great.
Very interesting. I like the idea, because the sleeper method would also give a place for insects to breed/collect. Was not aware of that type of glue. Using a moisture resistant wood is a good idea as well. I put new maple engineered wood in a kitchen in a house I built, and the plumber forgot to hook up the drain on the washing machine, hence when the new owner moved in and called saying there was water coming out of the cracks in the flooring, I had a face palm moment. Plumber said, "sorry". And I had to redo the entire floor. This would have been better.
So much work but gonna be awesome
No products placement!? Wow... for a change..
There was a lot of Rockler name dropping :)
@@Petertronic Yeah, but at least it's not a project pilot by a sponcor tool or product. Recently, a lot of her videos are directed by a new tool that a compagnie send her. It became a plague in the woodworking community. April Wilkerson had the same "problem", so I unsuscribe.
@@fugazi84 I actually don't mind when they do that, so I don't really think of it as a plague. It's still an informative video, still illustrates the project, still the creator's design, content, editing, etc. So what if a sponsor wants to pay or donate a tool or whatever, and the creator plugs it? Same concept in commercial TV, yet we still watch the broadcast networks' content. Just my opinion....
I made a head board out of some old hard wood floors from my brothers house. Still holding up good .
Tim Smith. Guess you’re not using your bed to full advantage.
@@joefischetti2383 ...LOL!
just out of curiosity did you get any install quotes because my shop has a concrete floor and i really like this idea
no, I always intended to do it myself.
How is the floor holding up ?
Great look for your shop. best of luck with the rest of the floor , it will look awesome when done.
I just put down solid bamboo flooring with Bostitch glue on concrete. Is a beautiful floor. Even here in high humidity Florida. I think it’s more work and time to glue( your yellow glue is rubbery and pliable enough) them in panel, because the tongue and groove holds the individual board along with the glue tight to the concrete. Also your large panels isn’t as congruent the staggered individual boards. I bought the Bostitch glue marked down as it was expired but was still good under top layer. Thank you for your inspiring channel.
As a sander and polisher ,direct stick installer, was good to see a different approach and kudos to your great setup and organisation..don't know if you ever did it again would you sand the floors after laying with a proper drum/belt sander???you must have had really flat boards to start with.
Cheers from OZ
Andrew..
Linn, I love watching your videos. not only are you full of great ideas but you find great and weird new ways to do things. But I have to admit, I would not have done this. I would just have sealed the floor with a nice white (or off-white) paint and left it at that. I know a wooden floor is nice and "warm" but the amount of work involved in this...don't kill me for saying this :-(
Hmm. I'm glad I saw this video. I have a very similar project coming up where I want to cover around 100 sq metres of concrete with hardwood flooring. I was trying to decide between the traditional sub-floor method and gluing direct. After having watched you do this, I think I might opt for gluing down 20mm ply sheets and then nailing directly to them. It seems like a good compromise. Thanks for posting and please let us see how it looks in the end. Cheers.
You are an amazing woman with zero fear to try new things, knees that are young and flexible and a back made from spring steel. I'm sorry this was so much work and money! Right or wrong, your floor will be solid and will handle the weight of any machinery you have now......or in the future:-) Be well my fellow Virginian!
Hi, nice work! I'm gluing up some panels similar to how you have done to use as stair treads to glue onto a concrete stairs, I'm finding that a few days after unclamping the glued panel it starts to bend (widthways), did you experience any of this? Any suggestions?
Great video and editing. Lovely job!
Personally, I would have put epoxy or similar coating on top of the concrete instead. But I am also a fan of wood, hard to choose between concrete and wood sometimes.
The wood will provide a nicer feel in a variety of ways that the epoxy/concrete would not.
Recommend something be put in those gaps between the glued up boards though
Once dirt, water, and chemicals, etc start to pile up inside those gaps, the problems begin, and the list is long.
Less than a conventional approach for sure. Can’t believe a garage floor is flat and level enough to pull this off. Properly made garage floors have a slope to the exterior overhead doors to allow water brought in by cars to exit the building. Do you have that slope or care?
The wood floor absolutely transforms the shop space!! Great look 😃
So I wanted to say thank you I used the same basic idea to build interior door panels for my car project 1950 buick out of tongue and groove reclaimed barn flooring glue it together then glue it on with contact cement it's looking good so far
Are excited about how to get a section into the spaces. 😊
Looks very nice. Was there any mention on the instructions to scratch/etch the very smooth surface of the concrete? Is there a technique to incorporate rigid foam, sort of as a sleeper system, or incorporate it in that sketch up? Cost benefit might not be there in the numbers though. That is no small undertaking, whew!
usually to stop the sliding when trying to install a glue down floor you fasten one row (usually in the middle) with hot glue or tapcons and then you start installing from there, once you reach the wall you start back from the middle.. that way you have no wiggle whatsoever when installing..
moving around those large panels to close the gaps is way harder than moving single pieces
So you are intending to use one material with one set of expanding/contracting properties and force bond it to another material with different set of expanding/contracting properties? How do you plan to keep those two materials in conformity if you get moisture issues?
But, you had a beautiful concrete floor to stain?? It even already had relief joints that would have looked beautiful and it would have been much more durable.