The Pitfalls of Gluing vs Nailing Hardwood Floors Process

One of the biggest choices that you have to make when opting for hardwood flooring for your home is deciding on which wood species to install. There are the obvious colour and shade differences between lighter woods like white oak hardwood and darker species such as American Cherry. You must also evaluate the Janka hardness scale to find a more durable hardwood depending on whether you have a busy home with pets and kids or are instead installing the solid hardwood flooring in your retirement condo.

Once you've chosen the species, the next thing to consider is how the solid hardwood flooring is installed. There are two main choices; a fastened floor or a floating installation.

At first glance, it might seem more secure to fasten your hardwood flooring planks to the ground with either glue or by nailing so they won't move.

The truth is, you actually want your hardwood floor to move in most instances.

Pros of Glue and Nailing a hardwood floor

The main, perhaps only, reason for gluing hardwood floor to the substrate is to more authenticate the feel of 'real' hardwood flooring. Walking on solid hardwood provides a certain underfoot feel that some consumers might think is lacking when an engineered floor is installed in a floating manner.

Improper installation of floating hardwood can leave a hollow sound when you walk on it which is definitely a no-no in most high rise buildings out of courtesy to your downstairs neighbors.

However, Easiklip solid hardwood flooring contains silicon beads that cushion our planks to reduce that hollow noise – allowing convenient noise-free floating installation. This is important because almost everything else about gluing a floor is a hassle from the odor, the increased labor time, and the fact that the planks are much harder to remove if ever replaced.

One of the biggest reasons why installers nail down hardwood flooring is because it's largely considered a permanent method. However, this is really only beneficial when planks that are thicker than 19mm are used. These thicker hardwood boards can be refinished 2-3 times over the course of their life span and thus won't need to be removed or replaced which is an arduous process with nailed-down flooring.

Benefits of Easiklip Clip-Together Flooring

The benefits of a solid hardwood floating floor are basically avoiding all the negatives that are associated with gluing or nailing down the boards.

Easiklip's unique clip-together installation is efficient and, unlike with glue methods, leaves no toxic fumes lingering in your home. The clipped-together solid hardwood flooring can be walked on immediately and the boards can easily be unclipped and removed in case you ever want to replace a plank or even move the hardwood flooring to a different room. Plus, your substrate doesn't have to be as level because the floating floor will hover over any imperfections which won't be as noticeable.

NOTE: You can experience the Easiklip easy DIY hardwood system for yourself by grabbing a FREE sample pack today. Just click "add to cart" below.

// A floating hardwood floor will expand and contract with humidity changes which helps it to avoid the buckling that can occur as glued and nailed down floors age. Even the hollow sound when walked on is avoided thanks to the silicon pads built into each unique clip. You can even install a sound-deadening pad underneath for more convenience.

floor nailing

Which Should You Choose?

A majority of flooring contractors recommend installing engineered flooring using the floating method.

The benefits of floating installation far outweigh the hollow sound which would be the only deterrent.

The floating method installs much quicker and allows the finished hardwood floor to move as a single unit when humidity changes cause the planks to expand and contract instead of as individual boards. Plus, the added benefit of no odour from the glue and an easier tear up job when a replacement time comes makes Easiklip's hardwood flooring clip-together installation the no-brainer.