Choosing the right flooring adhesive

Start with the floor covering

Carpet, sheet vinyl, LVT, safety flooring, wood and ceramic each call for a different adhesive type — pressure-sensitive and acrylic products for resilient coverings, higher-strength systems where the floor is heavily trafficked or wheeled. The flooring manufacturer's datasheet is the authority here: some ranges name the adhesive types accepted under their warranty, and that takes priority over any general advice.

Then look at the subfloor

• Absorbent — screed, smoothing compound, plywood: normally primed so the adhesive doesn't dry out too fast.
• Non-absorbent — power-floated concrete, existing tiles, old adhesive residue: needs a primer suited to that surface.
• Damp — where residual moisture is above the flooring manufacturer's limit, a surface DPM goes down before levelling and adhesive.
• Underfloor heating — check the adhesive is rated for heated floors and follow the commissioning sequence.

Our subfloor preparation guide covers testing and levelling in detail.

Reading coverage and tub sizes

Coverage is quoted per tub and depends on the trowel notch and how porous the subfloor is — a rough, absorbent floor will always use more. Where a range is sold in more than one tub size, the size is shown in the product title and on the option selector, so check which one you are adding to the basket. Browse the full adhesives range.