Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
seegaye

Lock and Fold / Glue down

seegaye
14 years ago

Hi. I am seriously considering a Bruce floor - 5 inch American Originals Hickory in Sunset Sand. It would be throughout the entire house - kitchen included - with the exception of the bathrooms and utility room. I want a VERY distressed floor so this seems to fit the bill. Anyhow, I brought home two sample boards. One is the Lock and Fold, the other the glue down. Altho both labeled as "sunset sand" they seem to be slightly different in color but that could be from aging. My questions:

The L&F is priced less than the glue down every place I price it although I am told that you can glue down the L&F - that it is essentially the same product. Does anyone know if this is true? If so, why pay more for the glue down even if you plan on gluing?

Regarding glue down verses L&F - I have read pro and con on both. We have four - yes four - dogs, myself, and spouse living here. All of us - mostly the dogs - are well behaved but being realistic, I am choosing mega distressed flooring for a reason. Anyhow, would we be ill advised to do the L&F with our household? The ease of installation claims are tempting. I have read, however, of odd sounding and odd feeling floors with the L&F. Is this true even with a top quality underlayment? We are in Central Florida in a single story concrete slab. We will either DIY or hire my nephew who has installed floors for a living (altho no L&F).

I dont want to do this twice so am seeking wisdom if anyone has some to share.

Product recommendations (floors, glues, underlayments, etc) are also welcome since we have not pulled the trigger yet.

Thanks!

Comments (3)

  • owencarpet
    14 years ago

    There are a few really good installers on here that can probably provide some good insight on this for you.

    My 2 cents is if you are installing over a concrete subfloor and are worried about "hollow" or creaking" sounds and you have 4 dogs, you might want to consider an LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile / Plank) product that looks like distressed wood. It will wear very well versus wood with the dogs and the full spread install won't give you the sound issues you are worried about.

    LVT products such as Karndean, Nafco, Earthwerks, Amtico etc, aren't always a great DIY project though as proper installation is critical to the performance of the floor and not having issues later.

  • floorguy
    14 years ago

    I refuse to install that squeaky junk!!!

    I have installed 3 of them and that is enough for me to say no more. Quit while I'm still somewhat ahead.
    I didn't buy or supply the material. So, two clients dealt with it, but the last one, I had to remove it so they could take it back, Then they though I should install a gluedown with me providing the adhesive for the same labor price. I walked away. They got a week of my time and skills for basically free. Good thing I did get a small deposit.

    There is too much play in the joint mechanism. No edge lubrication(wax) So, you have movement and wood to wood. It is one big Turkey hunting call.

  • ralphva
    14 years ago

    floorguy, are you speaking specifically about Bruce lock and fold flooring? If so, is it your opinion that Bruce L&F flooring has an inherent design flaw that causes the squeaking or did your customers who ended up with squeaks not use an underlayment? Does the foam underlay not take care of the squeaks? I'm considering that product now for one room replacement of carpet. Would you mind posting one or two of your favorite brands of engineered flooring and maybe a few comments on why you like them? Thanks in advance.

    Here is a link that might be useful: My photo galleries

Sponsored
Dream Outdoor Solutions
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars10 Reviews
Providing Quality Home Improvements in South Riding for Over 30 Years