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I made a custom solid oak threshold between the living room and kitchen. The kitchen has tile (on cement board), and I installed engineered hardwood in the living room. I pulled off a couple of the tiles at the threshold point and the threshold fits great. The threshold is approx 5/16 thick and 4" wide. Most of it sits on top of the cement board, with about 1" going over the wood flooring.

However, I wanted to glue it in, and used liquid nails... this one: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Liquid-Nails-Interior-Projects-10-oz-Tan-Latex-Construction-Adhesive-LN-704/100659439

I put the adhesive between the cement board and threshold.

I put some weights on it overnight. The next day I pulled the weights off and at first everything looked great. About 2-3 hours later, the edges popped up. The whole board warped!!

I quickly pulled it off and it was clear the moisture from the liquid nails absorbed into the bottom of the threshold, making it expand on the bottom which lifted the edges. I was able to clean off all the adhesive, and clamp it down on a straight edge in the shop. 5 days later thankfully it came out flat.

So now it's redo time. Is there a better adhesive which I should use for this, or just bite the bullet and nail it down? I was looking at the liquid nails that I used, and it's water based... perhaps a solvent base would be better?

LarryBud
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  • Don’t use nails use screws. I like to use brass wood screws on thresholds. You need to pre drill and counter sink the threshold. Don’t use nails. – Ed Beal Jan 29 '22 at 15:57
  • I'm hoping to eliminate any mechanical fastener if possible. – LarryBud Jan 29 '22 at 16:07
  • sounds to me like you just need to clamp for longer next time and/or wait until the air is drier. I know my stair nosings took longer than overnight to really stick, some popped (clamped for "only" ~24 hours), but those I left weighted for 72h; no problem since. – dandavis Jan 29 '22 at 21:48

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