Hardwood Flooring Tools, Adhesives, and Floor Protection

A finished hardwood floor is easy to damage during the rest of a job, which is why floor protection makes up the largest part of this page. Paper and board rolls suit lighter foot traffic and shorter jobs, while tacky mats and reinforced protection board hold up better under heavier equipment traffic or a longer construction timeline.

Adhesive choice depends on subfloor moisture more than personal preference. A standard wood flooring adhesive works fine on a subfloor that tests within normal moisture range, but a subfloor reading higher than that calls for an adhesive with a built-in moisture control membrane, since installing over excess moisture without one risks cupping or adhesive failure down the line. Acoustic underlayment solves an unrelated problem, dampening impact sound transmission between floors, which matters most on multi-family or multi-level installs with sound requirements to meet.

NAC Products supplies most of the floor protection paper, board, and tape on this page. ZIP-UP adds more protection board, mats, and tape options. Bostik covers wood flooring adhesives and adhesive removers. Bullet Tools supplies flooring shears and replacement blades. Floorotex, Roberts, Ardex, Maxxon, and USG Durock round out the remaining floor protection, acoustic underlayment, and specialty products.

If you're not sure which adhesive or protection fits your job, give us a call and we'll help you figure it out.