Preparedness
Our top rated tip would have to be cleanup or
preparedness. All hardwood flooring adhesives are
a real
bugger to clean after they have cured and
hardened. This is why we strongly recommend
cleaning as you go with mineral spirits or the
suggested cleaner by the manufacturer. Bostiks
makes a very effective towel wipes in a container
cleaner used with urethane type adhesives.
What Kind Of Trowel. Cleaning Tips
Yea,
I know, we've already mentioned this but it's
worth noting again. Trowels. Always follow the
recommended specs by manufacturers. Typically for
engineered glue downs, V notched trowels are
suggested, but square notched ones as well,
providing adequate coverage is followed. If you're
not sure, measure how much area you've laid and
divide by the number of gallons used. 45 square
feet per gallon would be a safe range to stay
within, but some manufacturers vary.
Sorry for hawking on this preparedness issue, but
you'll find it will make your job much easier. If
your installation extends over a period of a few
days or weeks here's a neat tip in keeping the
trowel clean. Duct tape the underside before you
begin, keeping away from the notches. At the end
of the day clean as much as possible from the
trowel. The following day all you'll need to do is
rip the tape off and your pretty much ready to go.
However, you will have to clean the teeth
of dried adhesive with a utility knife.
Spreading The Adhesive
Alright then, it looks like you're ready for that
big moment. Now comes the fun part; getting that
adhesive on
the floor without making a major mess. With
Bostiks there's a good chance once you open the
container there will be a small film on top that
cannot be used. It must be removed otherwise it
causes clumping. Do so with a scrap piece of wood
in the area you plan to spread. Remember, this
stuff loves to ooze. Keep a scrap piece of
cardboard next to the container where you can
place the stuff once removed from the five gallon
container.
Tilt
the container allowing the adhesive to spill out.
Careful. Go slowly otherwise you'll have more than
you want. Pour an amount, or one third that you'll
need in the working area at one end. Having more
than necessary can be difficult to spread as the
adhesive is very thick in consistency. Use the
trowel to stop the flow as shown below and right.
Move the glue bucket behind you in the working
area or place it on a piece of cardboard out of
the working area.
It's
important to spread the adhesive in a consistent
manner trying to avoiding misses and clumps or
pools o f
adhesive. Not enough adhesive is another cause of
failure with these type of installations. Having
too much will cause problems when laying. Adhesive
will squeeze between the boards, creating a
cleanup chore you want to avoid. Keep an eye on
your working area. Clean any boo-boos immediately,
including adhesive that may get on the baseboard
or outside the working area.
Dry Laying. Fitting Around Obstacles
If your installation runs into different areas
other than one square room, fitting around door
casings and the like should be done before you
spread the adhesive. Termed dry-lay by
professionals, will prevent a lot of glue from
getting into places you'd rather not want. This
includes power tools. How frustrating it can be
trying 3,4 and five times to get that one piece to
fit right with glue all over the place.
We suggest planning ahead on the installation.
Normally you'll want to spread enough adhesive
that can be
covered in an hour or so. This doesn't mean you
have to do 30" or 36" areas all the time. If
you're nearing an area that looks like a lot of
intrigue cuts will be involved, measure and snap
the chalk line a few boards short of that area and
complete. At this time cut and dry lay the new
areas. Once you have the desired fit, remove in an
organized fashion (so you know what order to place
them back) and proceed with trowling new adhesive
in that area.
In one example, we installed enough area where it
came one board width shy of a floor outlet. Using
a comparable template to cut around the floor
outlet, we dry laid it, removed the pieces, spread
the adhesive and continued. In this case the
outlet was in the middle of the room; the first
four rows of the new area started around the
outlet. Work right and left instead of laying four
complete rows across the room.
Keeping The Installation Tight - Minimize Gapping
Most DIY installations are obvious when looked at
by a professional that does it everyday. A few
very useful
tips that will put you in their camp is how to
install a tight floor and stagger the boards
properly. Unfortunately some products may be
milled so poorly our efforts may seem meaningless
but we'll do our best.
Staggering should be considered at all times.
Don't be distracted as it will happen once you
start chewing the fat with your helper. Try not to
repeat the location of end joints in the
installation and keep adjacent joints as far apart
as possible.
If possible don't work on a newly completed area
until it the adhesive has had a chance to grab.
This can take upwards of a few hours and more.
Shifting weight and walking on completed areas
will open up side and end joints unless you have
the privilege of working with products that stay
together more than others.
During and after installing areas, keep a close
eye on boards that may separate. Some products
that are
loosely milled will do so with ease. Keep a pry
bar or wonder bar handy to close up end joints by
prying carefully off the baseboard or drywall.
Kicking them back into place is also useful, only
if your wearing sneakers free of grit.
Another invaluable tip we use on many
installations is the use of wedges. Some of the
better quality milled brands will make you look
like a pro and won't need this procedure.
Once an area is complete, engage the wedge as
shown in the image via tongue and groove. Anchor
another scrap piece just behind it and attach with
a masonry nail, tapping the wedge into place. This
is the most useful method we've found for
tightening up side gapping. Once everything is
tight as you desire, use blue painters tape to
keep it intact
and remove the wedges carefully, not affecting the
exposed edges of the completed sections. These
pieces can be cut on the table saw at a preferred
30º angle. Tape should be removed after 24 hours.
Measuring That Last Board Against The Wall
Actually there is no need for a tape measure here.
Take the piece you desire to use in that area and
line it up with the last row installed (on top)
Using another board, place it against the
baseboard and scribe a line on the board you plan
to use. This is especially useful where walls are
not straight or are bowed in and out. Depending on
how straight the cut is, a table or jig saw is the
power tool of choice.
Preferred
Appearances
There's nothing worse that seeing a transition
piece where it does not belong. Highly visible
areas should be
addressed to provide the best appearance. In this
case marble thresholds were used at every bathroom
door opening. Depending on what may be common in
your locale, these thresholds may not be used and
an ordinary T-molding will work. In our example
net fitting to the threshold was appropriate.
Look around at other areas where this method would
look more attractive. Exterior door openings is
another highly visible area. Placing quarter round
or similar always looks unsightly. In some cases
you can go under door thresholds with the
installation by removing and re-installing them.
Careful that it's sealed to the weather elements
once re-installed. |
