Drill-and-fill repair for hollow, squeaky, or delaminated wood floors
Bouncy, creaking, or delaminated engineered hardwood is often a failed glue line — not a full tear-out. Here is the drill-and-fill method using Deccobond 38 and the FIX-IT kit.
November 1, 2026
Homeowners describe it as bouncy, springy, creaking, spongy, popping, or “delam.” On engineered hardwood that was glued down, that usually means the adhesive lost contact: uneven subfloor, water, a glue that could not handle radiant cycling, or a thin glue line from day one. You do not always need to rip the floor. You need an adhesive that flows into the void, stays elastomeric, and is not ordinary white carpenter glue.
That is Deccobond 38 and the Deccobond FIX-IT Drill & Fill kit.
Will injection work on this floor?
Use drill-and-fill when:
- The floor is engineered hardwood (or similar gluedown wood) with hollow spots, squeaks, end lift, or face delamination.
- You can map a void by tap (dull/hollow vs solid).
- The finish and wear layer can accept small filled holes (dowels / colour-matched filler).
Do not inject as the first move when:
- The floor is a floating T&G or click system sitting on underlayment. Filling a void can glue the float floor to the pad. Fix the underlayment or high spot instead.
- There is active moisture, a leak, or a slab that still needs WLO 101 or a moisture plan.
- Planks are structurally broken. Adhesive will not stitch a cracked wear layer back to factory.
When in doubt, test one small area.
Kit vs bulk 38
| Job | Product |
|---|---|
| First repair, punch list, DIY, or a few hollow spots | FIX-IT kit — 250 ml adhesive, heavy-duty syringe, metal tips, drill bits, dowels, center punch, gloves |
| Whole-house hollows, multi-unit, refill the syringe all day | 38 — 500 ml or 38 — 4 L |
38 is not typical white wood glue. It is solvent-free, VOC-free, non-flammable, flows into voids, and stays resilient — including on radiant-heated floors. Keep it from freezing.
Five-step drill-and-fill
Follow the FIX-IT data sheet for hole size and wait times. The field sequence is:
- Map. Tap or chain the floor. Mark the hollow perimeter with tape. Work from the edge of the void inward so adhesive can travel.
- Punch and drill. Center punch so the bit does not walk on factory finish. Drill only as deep as needed to reach the void — not into radiant tubing or a hydronic slab. Use the bits in the kit. On tile you would choose grout lines; on wood, pick discreet spots (ends, near walls, or where a dowel will disappear).
- Inject. Load 38 in the syringe, seat the metal tip in the hole, and inject slowly until you see adhesive at the next hole or feel the void take fill. Do not blast so hard you lift the plank or flood the finish.
- Weight and wipe. Weight the area so the wear layer seats. Wipe squeeze-out immediately. Cured haze on the finish is harder than wet glue — Glue Remover is for leftover film, not a substitute for a clean inject.
- Plug. Insert the kit dowels (or colour-matched filler) flush. Sand/finish only if the OEM and the site finish allow it. The floor should tap solid, not spongy.
Why 38 instead of whatever is in the van
Repair glue has to flow, then stay flexible. A crystallizing PVA can re-bond for a month and start ticking again after heat cycles. 38 is built for hollows, squeaks, end lift, and delamination caused by failed gluedown adhesive, unlevel subfloors, install defects, and movement from radiant heat.
Aftercare and expectations
- Stay off the repair until 38 has set (see PDS).
- One session may not fill a huge void; a second inject the next day is normal.
- If hollows return in a pattern, look at moisture and subfloor flatness — do not keep pumping adhesive into a moving slab.
- For a new gluedown, prevent the callback with Deccobond 381 (hydrophobic hybrid, crack-bridging film, radiant-compatible) instead of a bargain mastic.
Shop: FIX-IT Drill & Fill kit · Deccobond 38 — 500 ml · 38 — 4 L
Made in Canada. For flooring professionals and capable DIY. Always confirm the floor is a gluedown wood system before you drill.