Floating floors are designed with a tongue and groove, enabling you to install them without using an adhesive—the tongue and the groove lock in securely. 

So what happens when you decide to glue down a floating floor?

Here are the main advantages of gluing down a floating floor:

• Gluing the seams together (not the entire floating floor) creates a stronger and longer-lasting bond
• It prevents (or at least reduces the chance) moisture or water from getting into the seams, preventing unwanted mold growth and the floors from getting damaged and needing replacement.

But what can also happen when you glue down a floating floor? 

Here are the disadvantages to consider before gluing down a floating floor:

• If the floors get damaged during their warranty time with no fault of yours, you could lose the warranty privileges if they are glued down 
• If you need to fix or replace a smaller section, this may be very difficult if the entire surface of the floating floor is glued to the subfloor 
• If you use a thick layer of glue or a type of glue that expands as it dries, this will cancel out the breathing room between the two floors, which is usually needed for the natural expansion of the flooring system
  • This could lead to the following possible damages or complications:
    • Floor warping
    • Gaps forming 
    • Floor peaking 

Keep reading to learn more about floating floors to get a better understanding of what you need to keep in mind for the best results that will hold long-term. 

Do You Need To Glue Down Floating Floors?

Floating floors are easy to install while being cost-efficient. 

They have what is called a tongue and a groove locking system. These allow each piece of flooring to fit in perfectly and connect the joints effectively and securely. 

Do you need glue to glue down floating floors? No, you don’t. 

But as you have discovered in the first part of this guide, gluing down a floating floor offers some advantages and disadvantages. 

So whether gluing down your floating floors is the right decision for you, consider each pro and con of doing so and see which one weighs out the other. Think about both long-term and short-term benefits and risks. 

The Types And Advantages Of Floating Floors

These floating floors are usually multi-layered boards, and you can choose from a few different options:

• Engineered wood 
• Laminate 
• Vinyl 

The engineered wood floating floor compresses real wood fibers and shards, whereas laminate and vinyl are created by compressing synthetic materials together. 

They are all designed for durability. 

Here are the most valued advantages of floating floors:

• Cost-effective 
• Easy to install
• Durable 
• Easy to clean 
• Easy to replace small sections (if the entire below the surface of the floating floor isn’t glued to the subfloor)

But before you get all excited about floating floors and whether or not it is more beneficial to glue them down, you need to consider some important factors. 

Take into consideration the following:

• If the area, or room in which you are planning to install a floating floor, regardless if you choose to glue it down or not, contains high humidity levels (and often or constantly), this could cause the floors to warp 
• If it doesn’t have enough breathing room, at one point, the floors will very likely peak 
• May shift over time 
• The subfloor needs to be even for an even finish 
• Consider adding in padding underneath for a gentler feel on your feet, if you enjoy walking barefoot

The Most Helpful Tips To Know Before Installing Floating Floors

The store where you buy the floating floors most likeferent temperature or moisture level than the room you plan to install them in. 

When your boxes floating floors arrive at home, don’t install them right away. Place the boxes into the room they will be installed. 

Now, do this:

1. Open each box 
2. Let the boards get used to the room 
3. Let them sit in the room for a minimum of 5 days

If you are installing floating floors in different rooms, don’t store all the boxes in one room. The temperature and moisture levels can significantly differ from one room to the next. So keep each box in the room they will be installed in. 

It is important to open the boxes and keep them open. As you are aware, the temperature changes in a room throughout the day and night. Opening the boxes will allow the boards to get used to this and adapt. 

It will be ideal to even take them out of the boxes and leave them out. But, if this can’t be done, at least keep the boxes open. 

How To Best Secure The Floating Floor To Increase Long-Term Durability?

There are three methods through which you can better secure your floating floors as you install them. 

For best results, now and long-term, consider implementing all three methods, which are:

• Adding a sublayer of polyethylene foam 
• Add glue to the seams 
• Join the boards securely 

Step One: Adding a layer of polyethylene foam 

If you add a layer of polyethylene foam underneath the floating floors, this can give you the following advantages:

• Can help level out uneven floors
• It is a better surface for the floating floors to sit on

Step Two: Adding glue to the seams 

You already discovered the advantages of adding glue to the seams earlier in the guide, but here is a short recap of the main points:

• Adding glue to the seams will create a stronger bond that will last longer 
• It prevents moisture from getting in through the seams, this way preventing various complications and damages

Step Three: Joining the boards securely

The manufacturer of the floating floors you have chosen should have detailed instructions on how to securely join the seams and the correct way. 

How To Allow Space For The Natural Expansion Of The Floating Floors After Installation?

Earlier, we mentioned that one thing that happens if you glue down the gloating floors (not just the seams, but all of it) is that it removes the breathing space that the natural materials of the wood board would need to expand naturally. 

So let’s see how you can allow this space so the boards can expand naturally and why this may be important. 

With time, floating floors can shift. FTo be able to do this, they require some moving room to expand into. 

Here is how you can allow space for the boards to expand naturally:

1. When installing, add a flooring spacer between the short edge of the board and the wall 
2. Install these spacers about every 6 inches throughout 

Conclusion

Floating floors are designed in such a way that they can be installed securely without having to use glue. 

But, if you want to make sure that your floating floors will have a stronger hold and remain more securely joined together, then using glue will help with this. 

Gluing down your floating floor will also prevent moisture and water from leaking through, damaging the material, or causing mold to grow. 

Find the middle ground if you aren’t sure about the best course of action. 

You don’t have to glue down the whole surface of the floating floor to the subfloor. Instead, you can add glue to the seams to secure the connection between the tongue and the groove system.