Use Glue or No-Glue?

Laminate floors offer an affordable, versitle flooring option that can work in just about any space. With this type of flooring, you can enjoy colors in the earth tones, metals, off-whites, pastels, and more.

If you have read about the different types of laminate floors, you have probably classified them by installation. The first type is the laminate floor requires laminate glue, while the other does not have adhesive. The no-glue type of laminate flooring is attached by locking grooves at the sides of each plank. Just think of it as a life-size jigsaw puzzle where the grooves are identical on each side of the flooring.

You might be thinking about what type of laminate flooring you would use. Let’s discuss the basic differences between the two:

Tongue and Groove Laminates

You might be thinking that the glue-type must be better because, given that it is glued in, the flooring is more durable. Actually, that is not the case. Even the non-glue laminate flooring type is very durable, and it will not come apart with everyday use. The tongue and groove planks provide extra reinforcement to an already sturdy material. 

During installation, follow the instructions carefully and pay attention to what you are doing. You will not need to hire a professional to install this type of laminate flooring considering that all you have to do is fit the grooves together until you cover the whole room. The locks are designed to be fairly sturdy.

Pre-Stick Laminates

With pre-stick laminate flooring, you will have larger room for error as well. With the glue-type laminate flooring, if you make a mistake and the glue hardens, you will have to saw off the part where you made the error, creating a mess in the process. Even drying the glue is a chore because you have to clamp down the planks until the glue hardens so that they do not move around. Also, with glue-type laminate floor installations, you have to make sure you are still running a perfect square as you go along. With no-glue laminate flooring installation, you do not have to worry about getting out of the square.

Preventing Moisture Damage

You may wonder about moisture getting into the grooves of the no-glue laminate flooring. The tongue and groove laminate floors have the same anti-moisture barrier treatment done to the grooves that is done to the outermost layer, so even if moisture gets between the grooves, there would be no problem.

Replacing Laminate

Furthermore, replacing no-glue laminate flooring planks is as easy as the installation of them. All you would have to do is take out the floor up to the broken plank, fit back the new one, and replace the floor. With glue-type laminate flooring, you have to saw off the broken plank, take the new one and create new grooves that will fit perfectly before gluing it back in and holding it into place. If you wanted to replace the broken glue-type plank perfectly, you would have to hire a professional, which is not always affordable.

The no-glue type of laminate flooring is easier and much more popular than glue-type installations. Of course, it is always advisable to store spare laminate flooring planks, so that you can repair your floor immediately once you encounter any problems.