Wood flooring requires some special attention while it's being installed and the wooden planks soon after their installation require finishing.  The refinishing is done with sanding process, and requires the same procedure used for a refinishing of old, worn out floors. The sandpaper is generally used in the process of finishing.

This installation method is most common when installing an engineered strip or plank wood floor over a concrete sub-floor. If done properly, a glue down installation is a very stable one. A lot of people with plywood sub-floors have also learned that a glue down installation can also be beneficial. The reason being is that it can be quieter than a staple down install with less creaking when the floors expands and contracts.

One major drawback to the glue down installation can be the evenness of the sub-floor, or correct sub-floor preparation. If you install an engineered wood floor using the glue down installation method, and your sub-floor is not flat, you are asking for some serious future problems. One of those problems will be something known as "popping". This is where the bond of the glue breaks loose in a low spot of the floor, and that section is no longer attached to the sub-floor. Another problem can be improper bonding. This is usually caused when the sub-floor was not cleaned properly and the glue you are spreading on the floor is actually being spread over the dust and/or dirt. This can also cause the bond to be broken. Yet another problem with this installation method is the use of a non-approved floating or flashing compound. I know I probably just lost you so let me explain. If your sub-floor is not even, you will need to use a cement type compound to flash or float that area in order to make it flat in preparation for the wood floor installation. After you install a wood floor using the manufacturers' recommended adhesive, that adhesive has a tendency to shrink and pull the wood floor tighter down to the sub-floor. If the correct flashing or floating compound is not used, when the adhesive shrinks, it can literally rip the compound right off the floor, leaving you with a section or sections that is not bounded.

D.I.Y. NOTE: Glue down installations are recommended for someone that has some experience working with the preparation methods described above. If you have a sub-floor that is flat, or only requires minor preparation, the glue down installation is not that difficult.