Wood floor BEGINS! Day 1

Posted on the December 14th, 2009 under First Stages by admin

Today the wood floor installation started. We are using a very very very very strong glue to adhere the floor to the concrete slab. The glue provides a moisture barrier, sealer, and adhesive all in one. The problem with this glue is the “work time” Most glues can be applied to the slab and the installers have about an hour window of time to work with the glue until it begins to cure. This glue begins to cure in 10 minutes. When the glue begins to cure the glue turns into an elastic type material, thus making the floor very hard to shape from board to board. It also makes the wood very hard to keep the joints tight because the elastic effect moves the floor out of alignment.

The blue masking tape you see on the floor is to hold the joints tight and straight while the first 7 rows cure. This is the most critical part when installing a wood floor. We lay 7 rows of wood floor in a randomized pattern. We make sure that the final row of the floor is perfectly straight. This straight-edge acts as a guide to install the rest of the floor. Once 24 hours passes we are ensured that the floor is fully cured to the slab and we can proceed with the rest of the wood floor installation.