Warning: I started using a 4-inch putty knife to spread adhesive for vinyl plank and it cut my time in half on a 1200 sq ft job in Boise.

I was fighting with a trowel for years until a guy at the supply house told me to just use the flat edge to lay down a consistent bed, and now I'll never go back, has anyone else tried this method on a big glue-down job?

2 comments

2 Comments

dixon.daniel1mo ago

Yeah, that flat edge trick is a game changer. I was doing a big glue down in a basement last fall and my arm was killing me from fighting the trowel ridges. Switched to just skimming it flat with a 6-inch knife, and it went down so much faster and smoother. The planks just locked in without any air pockets. Can't believe I wasted so much time before.

the_tara1mo ago

So you're not using a trowel at all now? Just a flat knife over the whole floor? I've always been told the ridges are needed for the glue to spread right. How thick are you putting it down with the knife, and what kind of glue are you using? I might try this on my next job if it really saves that much time.