Nailing down your hardwood floors has a few pros, including it considered the most cost-effective method as well the fastest. One other pro of nailing vs gluing hardwood floors is that if one floorboard gets damaged, it can be easily replaced without affecting the beauty of your floors. One con to nailing hardwood floors is that nails can loosen over time due to seasonal expansion and results in squeakiness. Other cons include requiring extra tools like the right type of nail gun, jamb saw, and router.
Gluing hardwood floors includes pros like giving your floors a solid feel and sound as well as being least likely to have deflection between flooring and subflooring over nailing hardwood floors. One added bonus to this is you should not hear squeaking. Another pro for glue down vs nail down flooring is that it is known as the most permanent installation method. A few cons to the gluing hardwood floors include possible extra subfloor prep and increased labor costs. You will want to make sure to purchase a high-quality flooring adhesive. A key thing to remember for whichever method you choose is to be sure your subfloor is flat, level, and dry. Then access your subfloor type and your budget and install with patience and precision. Each of these methods will give you a different result in your floor’s look, sound, and feel. Whether you choose to glue down hardwood flooring or nail it, we hope you love the result!