Choosing the ideal wood floor adhesive for your project
By: Shaun Hathaway
The use of wood floors in many homes is nowadays becoming a common phenomenon and this can be attributed to their aesthetic features and the value they give to the homes. It is important to know the best kind of a wood floor adhesive that you can use when seeking to achieve this kind of results as you will definitely want an adhesive that can hold the wood to the floor for many years without the need to redo the work again. It is important to consider a number of factors as concerns the floors so as to know the kind of adhesives that you need.
Normally the installation of wood on the floor has to take into consideration that the surface on which they are installed is concrete. These mean that the chances of failure are always high and especially when not done by a qualified personnel. Improper and poor floor preparation will lead to failure and it is therefore important to work on your floor before starting with the installation. It also equally important to ensure that you have the right wood floor adhesive as this will also determine the success of your project.
The right amount of adhesive should also be applied in order to avoid the chances of re-bonding of your material from the subfloor. The application of the wood floor adhesive is done with a trowel and glue down applied in order to enjoy the right results. There are three different types of adhesives that you can use on your floor but one of the things you should understand is that these do not sell that cheap. It is however important to consider the quality above the cost so as to enjoy long lasting results.
As aforementioned, there are three types of wood floor adhesives. These include urethane based, water based and acrylic with the use of the urethane being the most commonly used. The old toxic adhesives have long been phased out and many of the modern day adhesives are environmentally friendly. It is however important to allow some time before using your home if you are one of those people who are sensitive to chemicals. The curing time for the glues is approximately one day before you can start using the room or moving back the furniture.
The water based wood floor adhesive is normally made as a very low emission and is preferred for their environmentally friendly nature. They however have some limitations when it comes to application on some types of wood. The solvent based bonding agents can be applied on a wide range of surfaces and they have solvents that are not hazardous which normally evaporate after a few weeks following the installation.
The powder adhesives are another kind of wood floor adhesive and they work just the same way as the water based glues. Their advantage is that the mixture is made from the flooring site and therefore you have no reason to worry about their freezing or transportation costs. They have very strong bonding agents which allow the joining to remain strong after long. The fact that they do not affect the wood by swelling makes them ideal compared with the water based adhesives. The choice of the adhesive should be determined by the floor and wood types as well as other factors such as reaction to the chemicals by the home users.
About Author:
Shaun Hathaway from Sealants and Tools Direct Ltd writes about wood floor adhesive for more information about wood floor adhesive visit www.sealantsandtoolsdirect.co.uk