Glue-down method, nail-down method or floating installation: which method should you use when installing your wood floor?

Choosing wood flooring is not that simple… How will it be used? What laying method? How do you maintain it… ? To assist you with your project, Decoplus Parquets has devised a buying guide with instructional information to help you make the right choice.

Glue-down method, nail-down method or floating installation: which method should you use when installing your wood floor?

There is no simple response to the question of which method to use when laying your new wood floor. The answer is dependent on various factors:

- The type of subfloor you are laying your wood floor over

- The various prerequisites for different methods (underfloor heating and/or cooling systems, room humidity, older types of construction – battens or joists)

- The kind of wood flooring you plan to install: solid wood, engineered wood, laminate

Nail-down method:

Wood flooring type: Solid wood flooring (thickness > 20 mm)

Subfloor type: Beams or battens

Level of difficulty: Professional

Insulation: Insulating underlay

Technical recommendations: Often used when laying on existing beams or battens above ground floor level in older types of building

Glue-down method: 

Wood flooring type: Solid wood flooring, engineered wood flooring

Subfloor type: Cement screed, wood conglomerate, an existing wood floor if not too thick

Level of difficulty: Experience necessary

Insulation: Insulating underlay

Technical recommendations: Essential for humid rooms and when laying over underfloor heating and/or cooling systems

Floating installation:

Wood flooring type: Solid wood flooring, laminate flooring

Subfloor type: Cement screed, wood conglomerate, old carpeting if not too thick

Level of difficulty: Can be undertaken by any DIY enthusiast

Insulation: Insulating underlay

Technical recommendations: Ideal for laying over an existing floor covering

Each laying method is governed by specific French building codes relating to wood flooring. The nail-down method is covered by DTU 51.1, the glue-down method by DTU 51.2 and floating installation by DTU 51.11. A DTU (Document Technique Unified) is a code of practice produced by the profession. It is a technical reference document governing working method and is used across the building industry. Each DTU is published by AFNOR (the French national organization for standardization) and constitutes an industry standard recognized at European level.