Has anyone got an opinion (didn’t aught to be in short supply on here) about whether the additional expense of glueing down engineered flooring is worth it?

Background is that we have purchased an ex-council house with a concrete underfloor which was carpeted in the living/dining room and hallway.
The carpet was completely goosed and wood flooring is our preferred replacement option.

We have been priced up for a 125mm oiled engineered oak board, but the cost of glueing it is £1200 more than floating it over a cush’n’wood underlay.

We had set ourselves a budget of £10,000 for renovations, which we will JUST about meet if we go for floating.
However, we intend (due to almost certain financial destitution) to be in the house for a number of years so would we be cutting a cost now just to regret it in the future?

No underfloor heating, radiator pipes are within the stud-walls, no damp and underfloor is flat.

Any help would be gratefully received,

Ta

I glued mine. Cost a couple of hundred quid for the glue, if that. Not the most fun day I’ve had but it’s an easy job.

Mine’s floating on top of quarry tiles. I removed the skirting boards, left a 10mm-ish expansion gap, in reality it’s under the plaster on the walls, it never reaches the floor, and refitted the skirting board.

Not moved, bowed, warped in 12 years.

Tarkett floor BTW.

Ours is floating but you’ve got me worried now.

Cost seems high for gluing, but I’m probably missing the point. Our floating floor cost 350 to install including fitting skirting boards and some cutting under doors and stairs. That was 10 foot by 22 living through the hall

Our floating floor cost 350 to install including fitting skirting boards and some cutting under doors and stairs. That was 10 foot by 22 living through the hall

Hmmmm, that is many MANY pounds less than we’re being quoted.
Where about’s in the country are you, sadly we are in the rip-off central that is the south east!

All the engineered floor that I have fitted has been fixed as it was only the tongue and groove type . Although only fitted to wooden base and secret nailed.
Is the floor you are wanting like Laminate with a click together system? if so then you can float it like Laminate as it won’t pull apart.

The floor in question is a bevelled one, not tongue and groove, but the manufacturers website suggests it can be floated.

And the clarify in my previous post, I meant many MORE pounds, not less (muppet)

OP, how many square metres is it in total and what rooms?

dd,
The room sizes are approx 7m x 3.3m in the living room, and 3.3m x 3m in the hallway.
They adjoin through a standard witdth door.

There is a fireplace hearth and some boxing around the old range chimney in the living room to take out of this (approx 2sqm total) and some cutting to get around the bottom of the stairs (but the space UNDER the stairs will be left open and floored as it is not big enough to turn into a cupboard really.

Price for glueing also includes laying a latex layer first.

Hmmm, a £1200 difference between floating and latex/gluing seems huge tbf. I would imagine the floating option doesn’t include latexing?

Not tongue & grooved ? Bit like a parquet. You will have to stick it down then. otherwise it will move all over the shop.

It will also depend on which way you run the floor as it’s more likely to move across the grain.
Engineered less so with a damp proof underlay.

We live in Bedfordshire so still just in the South East

I think our quote was a bit of a bargain. I think he underestimated how long it would take. But on the other hand he was fitting us in around other jobs

It certainly seemed cheaper to separate the buying of the materials and installation. Obviously this increases the risk in items of having a problem. But I think it took our total cost from over 2200 (possibly more) to under under 1500 so we went with the risk. Ours is glued together tongue and groove on membrane. We should possibly have spent more leveling our floor.

It sounds like you have chosen your materials. But there must be other options. The internet is full of engineer oak flooring companies who will send samples

Just been quoted £1600 for 20M squared of engineered floor, supplied and fitted bang in the middle of the Beautiful South. I believe they plan to float it over a decent underlay.

I can’t really think of any advantage of glued over floating other than a slightly more solid feel (assuming a good surface to work on), though I’d want something more than a ‘suggestion’ from the website it can be floated before committing either way!

Grand, so our quote is rather steep!
In response to dd, no the floating cost does not include latexing, just laying a membrane underneath.
Interesting to here that there doesn’t seem to be any advantage/disadvantage between floating/glueing.

Am beginning to think that it may be more sensible to float it and save the cash tbh…

Do you not have time to get more quotes?

I’ve never glued down; sounds like a total ballache.
Burgatedicky: I would say about £1100 to supply the floor + bits and pieces. Labour about £800 for floating. Auld Reekie prices.

Evening chaps, have had a more local wood flooring fitter out tonight who reckons he can glue it for approx £1800 less! He still needs to finalise the quote, but based on some “top of the head” maths and our 30sqm area that’s his estimate.
I am, therefore, much happier!

Will report when his quote comes in, and thanks for all the help so far,

Cheers!