Hardwood Installation Methods: Nail-Down vs. Glue-Down vs. Floating

There's no single "best" way to install hardwood. There's a best way for your floor. The right method depends on what's underneath (plywood or concrete), what you're installing (solid or engineered, narrow or wide) and the manufacturer's instructions.

We're Vision Flooring in Everett, WA. We install hardwood every one of these ways, so we don't push one method. We match the method to the job. Here's how they compare.

What are the main ways to install hardwood flooring?

There are five: nail-down, staple-down, glue-assist, glue-down and floating. Nail- and staple-down fasten the boards to a wood subfloor. Glue-down bonds them to the subfloor with adhesive. Glue-assist combines the two. Floating floors aren't attached at all.

How does nail-down hardwood installation work?

Each board is fastened through its tongue into the plywood subfloor with flooring cleats or staples, over a layer of vapor-retarder paper. The fasteners hide in the joint, and each new board covers the last one's nails.

Pros

• The most affordable hardwood install: about $3 per sq ft for prefinished flooring, including nails and paper
• Solid and quiet underfoot
• Furniture can go back right away with prefinished floors
• Individual boards can be repaired or replaced later

Cons

• Needs a wood subfloor. Concrete won't hold nails
• The subfloor has to be within the NWFA flatness spec (about ¼″ in 10 ft)

Staple-down works the same way using flooring staples, and it's common with some engineered floors. Always use the fastener the manufacturer specifies.

What is glue-assist, and when do you need it?

Glue-assist means nailing the boards and also running beads of adhesive underneath. We use it for floors 5 inches wide or wider, including most wide-plank engineered hardwood. Wide boards have more surface to cup and move, and the adhesive holds them flat between the nails.

Glue-assist runs about $6 per sq ft, including the glue and nails. Unlike a full glue-down floor, you usually don't need to wait days before moving furniture back.

How does glue-down hardwood installation work?

Adhesive is troweled over the whole subfloor, and each board is pressed into it. It's the standard way to install engineered hardwood over concrete or other hard surfaces where nails can't go.

Pros

• Works directly over concrete
• Very solid underfoot, with no hollow sound
• Often approved over radiant heat and in condos

Cons

• The most expensive method: about $8 per sq ft, including the adhesive
• Needs a flatter subfloor (3/16″ in 10 ft). Adhesive does not fill dips
• Concrete moisture has to meet the adhesive maker's limits
• Plan on 2–3 days before furniture and rugs go back, depending on the adhesive
• Hard to remove later

How does a floating hardwood floor work?

A floating floor isn't attached to the subfloor at all. The boards are joined to each other, either by gluing the tongue-and-groove joints or with a click-lock system, and the whole floor rests on a pad. It's held in place by its own weight and the baseboards around the edges.

Pros

• The fastest install: about $2.50 per sq ft for glued tongue-and-groove, or about $2 per sq ft for locking systems, both including pad installation
• Works over concrete and many existing hard floors
• The pad adds some cushion and sound control

Cons

• Can sound or feel more hollow than a nailed or glued floor
• Needs expansion space at every wall and can't have cabinets or islands set on top
• Pad material is extra
• Only for products designed to float

How much does each hardwood installation method cost?

Installation labor ranges from about $2 per sq ft for floating locking floors to about $8 per sq ft for glue-down. Flooring material, pad, removal of the old floor and subfloor prep are separate.

• Nail-down or staple-down (prefinished): about $3 per sq ft
• Glue-assist (5″ and wider): about $6 per sq ft
• Glue-down: about $8 per sq ft
• Floating, glued tongue-and-groove: about $2.50 per sq ft
• Floating, locking system: about $2 per sq ft
• Unfinished hardwood: about $3 per sq ft to install, plus $4–$6 per sq ft to sand and finish, and $0.75–$1.50 per sq ft for stain

Example, 600 sq ft: nail-down is about $1,800 in labor, glue-assist about $3,600, glue-down about $4,800, and a floating locking floor about $1,200 plus pad. Projects have an $800 minimum. For a quick ballpark, try our free flooring calculator.

Can solid hardwood go over concrete?

Generally not directly. Solid hardwood is made to be nailed to a wood subfloor, and it moves a lot with moisture, which concrete slabs can supply. Over concrete, engineered hardwood is the reliable choice, glued down or floating. Its layered core is much more stable. See what goes under hardwood over concrete.

Which installation method feels the most solid and quiet?

Glue-down and nail-down floors feel the most solid. They're attached to the subfloor, so there's no air gap to make footsteps sound hollow. Floating floors can sound a bit hollower, and a good pad and a flat subfloor make a big difference.

When can I walk on my new floor and move furniture back?

With prefinished hardwood, usually right away. Fully glued-down floors may need 2–3 days before furniture and rugs, depending on the adhesive. Glue-assist floors usually don't need that wait. Unfinished hardwood that's sanded and finished on site follows the finish schedule: back in the home the next day, furniture after three full days, and rugs after a week (three weeks with Swedish finish).

Can I install hardwood myself?

A floating floor is the most DIY-friendly, but every method depends on subfloor prep, acclimation and expansion gaps. Nail-down needs pro flooring nailers. Glue-down is messy and unforgiving once the adhesive sets. Most floors we're called to fix were installed over an uneven subfloor or without enough room to expand. Start with our guide to subfloor prep.