The best glue for glue down LVT: a plain guide to adhesives

This guide is for anyone buying adhesive for a glue down luxury vinyl tile (LVT) floor, whether you are fitting it yourself or checking what your fitter has quoted. It explains the types of LVT adhesive and what the names mean, why "high temperature" matters in a British house, the two products we sell and which suits which floor, how much you need, how to apply it, and the mistakes that cause floors to lift. Prices and coverage were checked on 9 November 2026 and include VAT.

Why the adhesive matters as much as the floor

A glue down LVT plank is 2 to 3 mm thick and has no click joint. Nothing holds it flat except the adhesive underneath. If the bond gives up, the floor shows it: edges lift, joints open at one end of a room and peak at the other, and tiles creep away from their lines. It usually starts in the sunniest strip of floor or over the heating, months after fitting, when the fitter has long gone.

Putting it right means lifting the floor, scraping the subfloor back, and buying new planks, because glued planks rarely come up clean. The adhesive is about 5 to 8% of the cost of a fitted floor. It is the worst place to save money. Our adhesive guide page goes through the failure pattern in detail.

The types of LVT adhesive, in plain English

Adhesive tubs carry a lot of jargon. Here is what each type does and where you would use it.

Type	How it works	Where it suits
Pressure sensitive (PS)	Spread it, let it dry to a tacky film, then lay the planks into the tack. It stays slightly flexible and planks can be lifted later	Most homes. Easy to work with, forgiving of timing
Hard set (wet set)	Planks are laid into the wet adhesive, which cures hard and locks them in place	Heavy traffic, rolling loads, large tiles that must not move
High temperature (HT)	A PS or hard set adhesive formulated to keep its strength when the floor gets hot, instead of softening	Underfloor heating, conservatories, rooms with big glazing, dark planks in sun
Moisture tolerant (epoxy or polyurethane)	Two part adhesives that cure by reaction and cope with higher subfloor moisture	Problem subfloors, usually a specialist fitter's choice
Tackifier	A thin, permanently tacky film that stops movement without a full bond	Loose lay LVT only, not glue down planks

Most adhesives sold for LVT are a mix of the first three. A good modern LVT adhesive is pressure sensitive, can also be used wet set, and is rated high temperature. That is what both of ours are. We do not stock epoxy or polyurethane adhesives: if your subfloor is damp enough to need one, the fix is a damp proof membrane first, not a stronger glue.

What "high temperature" really means

HT does not mean the adhesive is applied hot. It means the bond holds when the floor surface warms up and cools down, day after day. In a UK home that happens more than people think:

• Underfloor heating. Gentle, but constant and cycling every day of winter. The floor surface should stay at 27°C or below. See our underfloor heating guide.
• Conservatories and bifold doors. Glass on two or three sides, no shade, big swings between morning and afternoon.
• A strip of dark plank in a south facing window. That patch reaches a temperature the rest of the room never sees, which is why failures often show as a stripe across a room rather than a whole floor.

An ordinary adhesive softens in that heat and the planks move. A high temperature adhesive keeps its shear strength, so they stay put. Because the extra cost over a standard adhesive is small, we stock only HT products. You never have to guess whether your room counts as "hot".

The two adhesives we sell

	UZIN KE 49 HT	Amtico International HT Extra
Type	Hybrid: pressure sensitive or wet set, high temperature	Fibre reinforced dispersion adhesive, high grab, high temperature
Best for	Daytona, Textures, Kulta, Elements Inspirations, Nordikka and Invictus glue down floors	Amtico Spacia. Also good for herringbone, where pieces must hold position
Open time	10 to 60 minutes, depending on room and subfloor	Short, by design: it grabs fast
Walk on	24 to 48 hours; full strength in about 3 days	Follow the tub; allow the same 24 to 48 hours
Minimum floor temperature	15°C at floor level	Follow the tub; keep the room warm
Rated for	Warm water underfloor heating, castor chairs, wet cleaning, homes to light industrial	Conservatories, underfloor heating, rooms with plate glass
Sizes	14 kg £149.99, 6 kg £79.99	14 kg £149.99, 6 kg £79.99
Coverage	3 to 3.5 m² per kg	3 to 3.5 m² per kg

The figures are from the makers' data sheets and our listings. UZIN's own sheet quotes consumption of 200 to 300 g per m², which is 3.3 to 5 m² per kg. We quote the safer 3 to 3.5 m² because UK subfloors are often absorbent screed or plywood, which take more.

UZIN KE 49 HT: the all-rounder

This is the tub we send with most glue down orders. Worked as a pressure sensitive adhesive, you spread it, wait for it to turn from blue and wet to tacky, then lay into the tack. That gives a first time fitter a forgiving window. On a dense, non absorbent subfloor it can be used wet set instead. It is rated for warm water underfloor heating, office chairs on castors, and wet cleaning, so it covers the conditions a home or a shop will throw at it.

Amtico International HT Extra: for Amtico floors and herringbone

Amtico's own adhesive has fibre reinforcement that gives it very high shear strength and a short open time. It grabs quickly and holds tiles exactly where they are put, which is what you want in a conservatory or a sunny room, and what makes herringbone easier, because the small pieces do not drift while you work. If you are laying Amtico Spacia, use it. There is then no argument about compatibility if the floor is ever looked at under Amtico's guarantee. The short open time means you spread smaller areas, so it suits a fitter with a rhythm more than a slow first job.

Which one for your job

Job	Use
Daytona, Textures, Kulta, Elements Inspirations, Nordikka or Invictus plank	UZIN KE 49 HT
Any Amtico Spacia floor	Amtico International HT Extra
Herringbone in any range	Either. Amtico HT Extra's fast grab helps. UZIN works if you spread smaller areas
Over underfloor heating or in a conservatory	Either. Both are high temperature
Click SPC floor	No adhesive. It floats
Loose lay LVT	Neither. Loose lay needs a tackifier, which we do not stock

Our whole adhesive range is on one page: flooring adhesive. Floors and adhesive are delivered free together. An adhesive tub on its own carries a £9.99 delivery charge.

How much adhesive you need

Divide the floor area by the coverage per kg. Use 3 m² per kg on absorbent subfloors such as screed, levelling compound and plywood, and 3.5 m² per kg on dense, sealed ones.

Worked example, a 24 m² open plan kitchen:

• 24 divided by 3 is 8 kg. 24 divided by 3.5 is 6.9 kg.
• A 6 kg tub covers 18 to 21 m², so one is not enough. Two 6 kg tubs (£159.98) or one 14 kg tub (£149.99, covers 42 to 50 m²) both do the job. The 14 kg tub is cheaper and leaves spare for repairs.
• At £149.99 over 24 m² the adhesive costs about £6.25 per m². On a floor at £22.99 per m² that is about a quarter on top. On a larger floor that uses the whole tub it falls to about £3 to £3.60 per m².

Our LVT adhesive calculator does this sum for your room and tells you which tubs to order. Add an A2 notched spreader at £9.95. The notch size is what sets the coverage, so do not use a tile adhesive trowel.

How to apply it, in short

1. Prepare the subfloor. Smooth, flat to 3 mm over 2 m, clean, and dry: under 75% relative humidity on concrete, tested to BS 8203. Prime if the adhesive data sheet asks for it. Our subfloor preparation guide has the checks.
2. Warm the room. Floor temperature 15°C or more, and let the planks and the tub sit in the room for 24 to 48 hours. A cold slab is the most common reason a bond never fully develops.
3. Spread with the A2 spreader at about 45 degrees, in areas you can lay within the open time, 1 to 2 m² for a first timer.
4. Wait for the tack. For pressure sensitive use, the adhesive should feel tacky and not transfer to a clean finger. In a warm room that is 10 to 20 minutes. Watch the adhesive, not the clock.
5. Lay and roll. Press each plank in, then roll every 3 to 4 m² with a 50 to 70 kg roller in both directions. Roll again at the end. Hand pressure is not enough.
6. Let it cure. Light foot traffic after 24 hours, furniture after 48 to 72 hours, no wet cleaning for 48 hours. Keep underfloor heating off during fitting and for the time the tub states, then bring it up slowly.

The full method, with the cutting and finishing steps, is in how to install glue down LVT.

Mistakes that make floors lift

• Laying on a cold or damp subfloor. Test it, do not guess.
• Spreading too big an area, so the adhesive dries past its open time before the planks go down.
• The wrong notch. Too fine starves the bond, too coarse leaves ridges you can see through the plank.
• Skipping the roller. Without it, parts of the plank never touch the adhesive.
• Using a standard adhesive in a conservatory or over heating. This is the one that shows up a year later as a lifted stripe.
• Mopping the floor the next day. Water in fresh joints weakens the bond before it has cured.
• Turning the heating up to full the day after fitting. Raise it a few degrees a day.

LVT adhesive questions people ask

What is the best glue for glue down LVT?

A high temperature pressure sensitive adhesive made for LVT. We sell UZIN KE 49 HT for most ranges and Amtico International HT Extra for Amtico Spacia. Both are professional grade and rated for underfloor heating.

Can I use any flooring adhesive for LVT?

No. Carpet, wood and tile adhesives are not made for vinyl and can fail or stain the plank. Use an adhesive whose data sheet names LVT or vinyl tiles.

Do I need a high temperature adhesive if I have no underfloor heating?

If the room has big windows, bifold doors or a conservatory roof, yes. If it is a north facing bedroom, a standard LVT adhesive would cope, but the extra cost of HT is small, so we only stock HT and recommend it everywhere.

How much adhesive do I need per m²?

About 290 to 330 g, which is 3 to 3.5 m² per kg. A 6 kg tub covers 18 to 21 m² and a 14 kg tub 42 to 50 m². The adhesive calculator gives you the tubs for your exact room.

How long before I can walk on glue down LVT?

Light foot traffic after 24 hours, furniture after 48 to 72 hours, full strength in about 3 days for UZIN KE 49 HT. Follow the tub for the exact times.

Do I need a primer?

Only if the adhesive data sheet asks for one on your subfloor type. Porous or dusty screed usually benefits. Dense, sound levelling compound often does not.

Is LVT adhesive waterproof?

Once cured, both of our adhesives cope with normal wet cleaning. They do not make the floor waterproof. Water can still get through the joins between planks, so wipe spills and keep LVT out of wet rooms and shower floors.

Can I lay LVT over old adhesive?

No. New adhesive will not bond properly to old. Scrape it back and, if needed, skim with levelling compound first.

Next steps

• Work out your tubs with the LVT adhesive calculator.
• Browse flooring adhesive and the glue down LVT range.
• Order up to 5 free samples before you order a floor.
• Read glue down vs click LVT if you are still choosing a format.

Written by the Flooring Monster team. Facts and prices checked 9 November 2026. Adhesive figures come from the UZIN and Amtico data sheets and our listings; coverage is our conservative working figure. Questions? Call us free on 0800 870 8795.