What are the advantages and disadvantages of glue-down versus interlocking flooring?

This post provides a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of installing glue-down flooring versus interlocking flooring. Please note that some of the differences are in the product construction, and not just the installation method. StaticWorx provides both types of flooring.

The information below is based on actual customer experiences.

The two products: Glue-Down (AmeriWorx) and Interlocking (GroundLock)

Glue-Down: AmeriWorx ESD Solid Vinyl Tile

AmeriWorx conductive solid vinyl tile, 12″ x 12″ x 1/8″, 24” x 24” and 36” x 36” installed with conductive adhesive. Conductive properties are present throughout the thickness of the tile. AmeriWorx tile is installed with pressure-sensitive conductive adhesive and grounded using the standard method of one 24″ grounding strip per 1000 square feet of tile area.

Interlocking: GroundLock Extreme Interlocking ESD Tile

GroundLock Extreme interlocking conductive tiles, 25″ x 25″ x 1/4″, 2X fiberglass core. Conductive properties are present throughout the thickness of the tile. GroundLock tiles do not require adhesive. The tiles connect like puzzle pieces, then hammered into place and grounded using the standard method of one 24″ grounding strip per 1000 square feet of tile area.

Installation Methods

AmeriWorx ESD tile is installed using a pressure-sensitive conductive adhesive. The subfloor must be smooth, flat, dry, clean and prepared to ASTM subfloor flatness standards. AmeriWorx tile can be installed over old tile, epoxy, bare concrete and wood subfloors. Concrete vapor must measure less than 85% per ASTM 2170 in sutu probe test method. Ameriworx is often installed in occupied spaces. StaticWorx StatBond pressure-sensitive adhesive is FloorScore® certified and contains no measurable VOCs.

GroundLock Extreme ESD tile: GroundLock tiles are installed without any adhesive. The dovetails on GroundLock tiles are attached to one another like puzzle pieces and locked into place using a dead-blow hammer. GroundLock has no vapor limitations and can be installed over any concrete as well as over most old tile and epoxy floors. The flatness of the subfloor has little impact on the performance or appearance of the installation.

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Maintenance

AmeriWorx ESD Solid Vinyl Tile: The surface of any conductive vinyl tile must be maintained by utilizing a routine scrubbing and buffing process. ESD floor polishes can be applied to any solid vinyl ESD tile. Cleaning is attained with a neutral cleaner and a scrubber. Without floor polish, solid vinyl tile has no protective surface treatment. Approximately 30% of the companies using ESD vinyl tile use some type of ESD floor sealer. The other 70% use scrubbers and buffing pads operated at 375RPM. The frequency of scrubbing depends on traffic, type of soiling and aesthetic expectations of the facility owner.

See Instructions Here

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GroundLock Extreme Interlocking ESD Tile: GroundLock tiles require simple cleaning procedures. GroundLock cannot be waxed due to the sealed surface. As a result, floor polishes will not adhere to the surface. GroundLock is maintained using water, neutral cleaners and either a mop or an auto scrubber for larger areas.

See Instructions Here

Warranty

The ESD properties of both AmeriWorx ESD solid vinyl tile and GroundLock Extreme interlocking ESD tile are warranted for lifetime.

Intangibles

AmeriWorx ESD Solid Vinyl Tile

In the USA market, the use of ESD floor polish such as Coat ZF has been proven to provide a lower cost of ownership than buffing the tile without a surface protectorant for all types of glue-down solid vinyl tile. The disadvantages of using floor polish are:

  • work area disruption for application and cure
  • possibility of using the wrong polish or contaminated mops
  • ESD polish increases the electrical resistance of conductive floors

Glue-down tiles must be installed over surfaces that do not exhibit vapor emissions per test method ASTM F2170 or they may delaminate over time. This would become problematic in an operational facility. The fix for vapor emissions is to strip the existing floor-covering, shotblast the concrete and install a vapor barrier prior to installing a new floor.

The attached article from US Tech Magazine is about installing flooring in occupied and operational factories. One of the factories is MACOM, in Lowell MA.

Read: Installing ESD Flooring Without Adhesives and Downtime

GroundLock Extreme Interlocking ESD Tile

The sole disadvantage of GroundLock Extreme tiles is the initial cost. GroundLock Extreme is easily maintained and capable of handling heavy weight loads or any type of material-handling-vehicle punishment. GroundLock is easily moved, replaced or reinstalled and it is immune to subfloor vapor issues. Because it is not installed with permanent adhesives it may be possible to expense GroundLock Extreme as opposed to capitalizing the investment.

Both Ameriworx and GroundLock are used extensively in SMT factories by large organizations such as Foxconn, Flex and Jabil as well as smaller and medium sized companies such as AMC which is featured in the above article.

Videos

Read
How to Install an ESD Floor

Listen
Installing ESD Flooring: Avoiding Pitfalls

Watch
GroundLock Interlocking Tile: The Fix for Problem Floors