Glue down LVP in a basement - I was a hater but now I get it

For years I swore by floating LVP in basements. Thought glue down was just for commercial jobs or people who didnt know how to do a proper expansion gap. Then I did a 1,200 sq ft basement in Raleigh where the slab had these tiny hairline cracks everywhere. Floating wouldve been fine I guess but the homeowner wanted something that felt more solid. I used a trowel notch size 1/16 x 1/32 x 1/16 with Bostik's Greenforce and man the difference was night and day. No hollow spots no clicking sounds when you walk on it. Also didnt need transition strips at the doorway because the glue down is thin enough to slide under the jamb. Took me about 3 extra hours compared to floating but the end result was way cleaner. Anyone else switch camps on this or am I late to the party?

2 comments

2 Comments

faith_schmidt1mo agoTop Commenter

You make a solid point, I used to be a floating floor fan but this post changed my thinking.

evanpalmer1mo ago

Wait hold on you used a 1/16 x 1/32 trowel on 1200 sq ft? Man that sounds like a nightmare of constantly reloading the trowel. I did a similar sized job last year with a 1/8 notch and still felt like I was stopping every 5 minutes to scrape cured glue off the floor. But you're right about the hollow spots my last floating install in a basement had this one corner that sounded like a drum whenever you walked past it. @faith_schmidt I get why you changed your mind now, the solid feel alone is worth the extra time.