Home › News & insights

Glued vs. Floating Parquet: Which Installation Suits Your Home

Parquet can be glued directly to the subfloor or floated over an underlayment; here is the real difference between the two methods and when each one wins.

2 min read parquet flooringwood flooringparquet installationinterior decor

This article in other languages: فارسی · العربية

Overview of a room under renovation with wooden parquet planks being installed in a herringbone pattern, a rubber mallet, and spacers on the floor
Parquet installation: the first decision before starting the job is the installation method

Many customers, when choosing parquet, think only about the wood's color and pattern and forget about the installation method; yet that one choice affects the floor's durability as well as the cost and time of the job.

What Is Glued Parquet Installation?

In glued installation, each parquet plank is bonded directly to the subfloor with a flooring-specific adhesive. This method keeps the floor completely rigid and stable, and it is the best choice over underfloor heating, since full contact with the subfloor improves heat transfer. The downside is that replacing a damaged plank is messy and difficult, since the adhesive has to be scraped off.

What Is Floating Parquet Installation?

In floating installation, the planks click-lock together and rest on a soft underlayment instead of bonding to the subfloor; the whole floor behaves like one connected sheet floating above the underlayment. This method goes down faster, tolerates a less perfectly level subfloor, and if one plank gets damaged, prying it out and swapping it is much easier.

  • Glued: best for underfloor heating, more durable under heavy foot traffic
  • Floating: faster installation, lower labor cost, easier plank replacement
  • Glued: needs a subfloor that is completely level and dry
  • Floating: works over most existing floors, even old tile
If the subfloor has underfloor heating, glued installation is almost always the right call.

Which Should You Choose?

For new builds or full renovations with a level, ready subfloor and underfloor heating planned, glued installation makes more sense. For quick renovations or rental units where part of the floor might need replacing later, floating parquet costs less and causes fewer headaches. If you are still torn between parquet and laminate, read our parquet vs. laminate piece too; the floating click system is nearly identical in both.

Close-up of parquet plank edges with a click-lock joint, with an adhesive trowel beside them on the floor
Floating parquet's click-lock joint versus the adhesive under a glued parquet plank

What a Contractor Should Tell You Before Starting

Before installation, subfloor moisture needs to be measured; a damp subfloor ruins either method, adhesive or underlayment alike. An expansion gap, a few millimeters of clearance along the walls, also has to be left around the room, or the parquet will cup or lift with seasonal heat and humidity. If you are also planning a herringbone layout, our herringbone parquet piece covers the layout details.

Read next

Herringbone-pattern wood parquet flooring in a bright living room lit by natural light from a large window

Parquet Flooring vs Laminate: Which Is Right for Your Home?

Parquet and laminate flooring can look alike from a distance, but they differ sharply in durability, repair, and how they handle moisture. A buying guide based on your actual room.

Parquet FlooringLaminate FlooringFlooringHome Decor
Wide view of a living room floor with herringbone wood parquet and natural light from large windows

What Is Herringbone Parquet and Where to Use It

Herringbone parquet's angled pieces add texture and visual depth to a floor, but it demands a more precise subfloor than standard parquet.

parquetwood flooringinterior design
Light-toned engineered wood flooring in a sunlit living room with a small expansion gap along the wall

Why Wood Flooring Shrinks and Swells With the Seasons

Even a correctly installed wood floor contracts slightly in dry heating season and swells a little in humid season. That's normal wood behavior, not a workmanship defect — but ignoring it leads to cracks and buckling.

wood flooringwood maintenancewood moistureunderfloor heating

Back to news