Laying of parquet using full spread gluing

How is a parquet glued down on a substrate

All 2-layer parquet types must strictly be glued down full spread. We also recommend gluing down elements wider than 240 mm and longer than 2 200 mm.

In the case of underfloor heating, we also recommend full spread gluing to ensure that heating will be optimal and shrinkage and expansion of the floor minimised.

Preparation before starting the installation

Please pay attention to some important issues before you start with the laying of your wooden flooring. These points can be seen in our booklet „installation instruction“ which you can download.

Check the substrate for unevenness. Uneven areas > 3 mm per meter must be levelled using a suitable levelling compound. Any dummy gaps or predetermined breaking lines in the screed must be solidly joined and trowelled before starting to lay. Never close structural expansion gaps.

Also ensure, with full spread gluing, that the substrate will resist pressure and tensile stress and is without cracks. This must be tested using a grid scratch test. Oils, greases, waxes, paints, hard plaster, dust and other substances impairing adhesion must be removed from soiled areas.

For a harmonious appearance, the product from at least three packages should be mixed. Make sure that the overall appearance of the wood will be uniform and harmonious.

Starting the full spread gluing – the first rows

Start laying from the left-hand corner of the longest wall in the room or, depending on the laying pattern, from the centre. Start laying the tongue side facing the wall after removing the tongue. Prepare the first three rows for laying. Lay on a dry substrate to allow for adjustments towards the adjacent wall.

Mark the area to be glued with chalk line to indicate where to coat the substrate with adhesive after removing the elements again. To ensure adequate wetting of the parquet elements, please observe the producer’s instructions for his adhesive, also concerning the notched trowel size to use.

Start by laying the first three parquet rows, glue them down adequately spaced from the wall.

Next steps of the full spread gluing

Continue by applying more adhesive in sections as specified by the manufacturer and accurately join the new elements by gently positioning them on the glued surface and pushing them into the tongue and groove joint. A wooden block and pull bar may be useful here. The offcut at the end of a row may be used to start off the next row.

Please note that, depending on the pattern, the offset should be at least twice the width of the floorboard.

Please remove any excess adhesive on the surface of the parquet with a cleaning agent recommended by the adhesive manufacturer. Be sure that this cleaning agent will not damage the parquet surface.

Also check the elements for material flaws as you lay them. Installed elements with visible material flaws will not be considered under warranty!

Give your parquet space

Space at least 10 mm from all upright building elements (walls, pillars, heater pipes, etc.). Ignoring this will stress the construction and potentially bulge the flooring.

Advantages of full spread glued parquet flooring

Full spread glued parquet floors have several advantages over multilayer floors laid floating. The most important:

Improved acoustics:

The drum sound on parquet floors glued full spread will be significantly reduced, since the flooring is solidly attached to the subsurface and cannot vibrate. The solid connection to the subsurface will also allow neither a hollow sound nor drum effects. Proper full spread gluing will also prevent the development of creaking sounds.

Better thermal conduction with underfloor heating:

Since full spread glued parquet floors are not separated from the subsurface by footfall sound insulation, underfloor heating will be much more effective. The only thermal resistance will be that of your parquet flooring as such.

Reduction of swelling and shrinking effects:

Swelling and shrinkage of the wooden flooring will be clearly reduced when glued to the subsurface. This also means that expansion joints to abutting vertical building elements and to flooring can be clearly reduced. Reduced swelling and shrinkage will also allow laying of complex floor plans spanning several rooms. Door openings will not require separation by expansion joints that will need cover strips.

Great variety of laying pattern:

Full spread gluing will also allow laying with many options for design – including matrices of wood types or other materials or edge borders.