Question from llyana
I have MCS and I’m putting in 2 new pre-finished wood floors in my home.
I was told by a green building service to have the contractor use a polyethelene vapor barrier instead of an asphalt/felt/paper vapor barrier for less off-gassing. Now it seems you can’t nail the floor through a vapor barrier (it would defeat the purpose) so they are recommending floating the floor, which means glue-ing the wood together instead of nailing it down. So, now I’m worried about the glue being an issue for me.
Any thoughts or advice?
Debra’s Answer
Personally, I’ve never used a vapor barrier under a pre-finished wood floor and I’ve laid it over wood subfloor and concreate subfloor. So the first question I would ask is “Is the vapor barrier really necessary?”
If you need to glue, I’ve had excellent success using standard yellow woodworker’s glue to lay floors. Don’t let them use toxic adhesives.
My first choice for you would still be to nail it in, so see if you can eliminate the vapor barrier altogether.
