How glue-down LVT is fitted
- Subfloor tested for moisture and cleaned thoroughly
- Levelling compound applied to any low spots and left to cure
- Room set out with a chalk line for straight, square rows
- Adhesive spread with a notched trowel section by section
- Tiles or planks bedded in and rolled to remove trapped air
- Perimeter cuts fitted last around fixtures and door frames
The risk of rushing a glue-down job
Adhesive applied over a floor that hasn't fully dried after levelling, or over residual damp in the slab beneath, can lead to tiles lifting or discolouring months later once it's too late to inspect what went wrong underneath. Working too large an area of adhesive at once before it starts skinning over is another common DIY error that stops tiles bonding properly.
Your part of the job
The room needs to be fully cleared and, ideally, kept closed off while the adhesive cures — this usually means avoiding the room for a set number of hours rather than days. If you have underfloor heating it needs to be turned off in advance of the survey and stay off during fitting and initial curing.
Glue-down over concrete slabs in Glenrothes
Many of the 1960s and 70s homes around Glenrothes were built on solid concrete ground-bearing slabs, and after decades some have picked up surface contamination from old adhesives or show signs of rising damp at the edges — both need addressing before a new full-bond floor is glued down, not covered over.
When glue-down is the better call over click
- Heavy furniture or castors that would stress a floating floor's joints
- Wide open-plan areas where floating expansion becomes harder to manage
- Rooms with underfloor heating needing maximum heat transfer
- Commercial or high-footfall domestic spaces such as boot rooms