Flooring Adhesives & Primers
Glue-down flooring lives or dies on the adhesive underneath it — the wrong product, or skipping the primer step, is the single most common cause of a glue-down floor lifting, bubbling, or failing early. We stock a small, deliberate lineup covering the situations that actually come up: standard glue-down vinyl, high-humidity concrete slabs, and glue-down engineered hardwood, plus the primers that make each of those adhesives bond properly.
The short version: match your flooring type first (vinyl vs. engineered hardwood use different adhesive chemistries), then match your subfloor’s moisture level. A slab over grade with no known moisture issues can usually take a standard adhesive straight on. A below-grade slab, a slab with radiant heat, or a subfloor that hasn’t fully cured needs either a primer step first, a high-RH-rated adhesive, or both — the decision table below covers the common cases. Every adhesive page on this site has an inline calculator that sizes exactly how many gallons or pails your room needs, so you’re never guessing or over-ordering.
Which adhesive for which install?
| Situation | Use |
|---|---|
| Glue-down vinyl, standard subfloor | Henry 630 PeachPro |
| Glue-down vinyl, below-grade or high-humidity concrete | Henry 695 High-RH |
| Glue-down engineered hardwood, any moisture level | Mapei Ultrabond ECO 983 |
| Bare / porous concrete before any adhesive above | Ardex P 4 or Ardex P 51 primer first |
| Vinyl seam that needs sealing after install | Romus PVC cold-weld seam sealer |
Adhesives & Primers
Sold per gallon or pail. Match the adhesive to your flooring type and subfloor moisture level below.
Pressure-sensitive adhesive for glue-down LVT/LVP. ~150 sqft per gallon.
1 gal covers ~150 sqft → 500 sqft needs 4 gal
Releasable vinyl adhesive rated for high-moisture concrete slabs (basements).
1 gal covers ~150 sqft → 500 sqft needs 4 gal
Rapid-drying bond/moisture primer for subfloors before adhesive or leveller.
1 gal covers ~300 sqft → 500 sqft needs 2 gal
Liquid seam sealer for vinyl seams and cut edges.
Acrylic-urethane adhesive for glue-down engineered hardwood. ~40 sqft per gallon.
1 gal covers ~40 sqft → 500 sqft needs 13 gal
Pro pail of urethane engineered-wood adhesive for whole-floor glue-downs.
1 gal covers ~160 sqft → 500 sqft needs 4 gal
Moisture-control MS-polymer adhesive for glue-down engineered hardwood. ~160 sqft per pail.
1 pail covers ~160 sqft → 500 sqft needs 4 pails
Pink primer required under Ardex levellers and patches.
1 gal covers ~400 sqft → 500 sqft needs 2 gal
How-to guides
FAQ
Which Henry adhesive do I need for glue-down vinyl?
For a standard subfloor, Henry 630 PeachPro is the workhorse — pressure-sensitive or wet-set, trowel or roller applied. If you’re gluing over a concrete slab with elevated relative humidity (below-grade, radiant heat, or a slab that hasn’t fully cured), step up to Henry 695 High-RH, rated for high moisture environments.
Do I need to prime concrete before gluing down vinyl or engineered hardwood?
Bare, porous, or dusty concrete should be primed first (Ardex P 4 or P 51 here) so the adhesive bonds evenly instead of soaking in unevenly and losing grab. Already-sealed or smooth power-troweled concrete may not need it — ask us if you’re not sure about your slab.
What adhesive do I need for glue-down engineered hardwood?
Mapei Ultrabond ECO 983 is our moisture-control MS-polymer adhesive for full-spread glue-down engineered hardwood — it’s rated for use over concrete with elevated moisture readings, which is exactly where glue-down wood floors most often fail if the wrong adhesive is used.
How much adhesive do I need for my room?
Use the calculator on each product page — enter your square footage and we’ll size the number of gallons or pails automatically, based on the manufacturer’s coverage rate for that adhesive. As a rule of thumb, always round up and buy a little extra rather than run short mid-install.
Pressure-sensitive vs. wet-set — which application method should I use?
Pressure-sensitive means you let the adhesive flash off until it’s tacky/clear before setting the flooring — more forgiving for a first-time DIY install because you can reposition briefly. Wet-set means the flooring goes down while the adhesive is still wet — faster for a pro crew, less room for error. Both Henry adhesives we stock support either method.