Glue-Down vs Floating Wood Flooring

Each board is bonded directly to concrete, screed or plywood. The floor feels solid and quiet underfoot, transfers heat well over underfloor heating, and is the method we use for every herringbone and chevron floor. It needs a flat, dry, sound subfloor, so preparation matters.

Boards are joined by their tongue and groove or click profile and laid over an underlay, without being fixed to the subfloor. It is quicker and suits plank floors where gluing is not practical, but it can sound slightly hollower and needs an expansion gap around the edges. Patterned floors are not floated.

Boards are nailed through the tongue into timber joists or a plywood deck, so no fixings show. It is the classic way to lay solid oak on a timber subfloor, and it cannot be used on concrete.