Every construction requires flooring, an essential architectural detail for homes and commercial spaces. As a homeowner, choosing the right floor can get a little complicated. You have to determine the type, colour, structure, width and other measurements, and the like. Once you have finally chosen the floor, you will then have to deal with the expenses and hassles of installation. It’s time-consuming and usually a costly process – except if your choice was a floating floor in the first place.
Floating floors have become quite popular over the past couple of decades. In this blog, we will touch on what floating floor are, their pros and cons, and more. At the end of this post, you should be able to determine whether or not floating floors are ideal for your home.
Overview:
- What are Floating Floors?
- Pros and Cons of Floating your floor
- Types of Floating Floorboards
- Installation Process
- Should You Choose Floating Floors?
What are Floating Floorboards?
The term “floating floor” refers to the type of flooring that locks together just like puzzle pieces would. With these floors, it is not adhesive or fixings that hold the floor in place. Rather, they are held in place under their weight, and they ‘Float’ overtop of the existing subfloor.
So, in this method, you have individual planks (or tiles in some instances) interlocking edge-to-edge and end-to-end. The result is a single surface that sits on top of an underlay. The process, which we will discuss later in this blog, is quite different from the nail or glue-down installation methods, which are commonly used for solid timber, stone and ceramic tiles.
The floating floor technique can be used with different materials, such as Hybrid, Laminate, Bamboo and Engineered Timber flooring.
Pros and Cons
Due to the ease and simplicity of installing floating floors, they are among the most popular options for homeowners when it comes to flooring. Because they can be installed without the help of a pro, they are a favourite of DIY-ers. However, before you get excited and buy floating floorboards, you have to understand that the planks require a well-prepared subfloor and in some cases, you will require an additional underlay.
If you are not familiar with the term ‘Subfloor’, it is the ‘Floor’ upon which you lay your floor covering. You rely on it to give you a flat and stable surface. Additionally, the ‘Underlay’ is the structure between the actual floor and the subfloor. It provides acoustic separation between the floor and subfloor.
Let’s begin with the pros:
1. Inexpensive
The costs are variable, obviously, depending on the quality and type of material you will use. But generally speaking, even if you hire a pro to install the flooring, you will still pay considerably less than hiring one for a glue- or nail-down floor. Installation is much faster and easier, so you can save that labour money if you wish to do so by DIYing the floor.
2. Easy to Replace
Damaged planks are inevitable as time goes by, just like any other type of flooring you have. But the difference is that you can replace damaged floorboards far more easily. Again, you can do this on your own because there are no nails or glue. Simply disassemble the floor up to the damaged board, substitute the ones that are damaged, and put the others back into place.
Maintenance is also easy. However, bear in mind that cleaning and maintaining the floating floor may have different procedures from product to product. This is because the methods are governed by the type of floating floor you are using. For example, you can clean laminate or engineered timber with just a damp mop. On the other hand, hybrid flooring can be fully wet mopped.
3. Installation Is Quick and Straightforward
Regardless of the floating floor material used, we want to stress the importance of a good subfloor. Your subfloor should be as smooth and flat as possible. Every manufacturer has an installation guide that will tell you what tolerance is allowed. If the floor is uneven, this can be felt underfoot and over time, will damage any floating floor.
Once the subfloor is prepared to an acceptable level, an underlay is usually applied over the subfloor. Hybrid flooring already has a built-in underlay, however, so there is no need for an additional layer of underlay.
Finally, you assemble the planks, ensuring they click together so that they stay locked in place. If you want to know the how-to or simply wish to envision how the installation process goes, you can find the steps later in this post.
Now, onto the cons:
1. This May Lower Your Property’s Value
Some people regard floating floors as inferior to nail or glue-down flooring. Perhaps in the past, we can all agree that this was true. However, floating floor technology has significantly evolved. The quality and design of the products have improved, making them an attractive option, even for the discerning homeowner.
However, this reputation remains. This flooring method may have a slight effect on the value of the real estate compared to other premium flooring options. If you are quite concerned about how your flooring lowers property value, you may want to consider engineered timber flooring or bamboo, as being natural products, there is no repeating pattern across your floor. However, the feel and sound of a floating floor remain.
2. Potential Hollow and Loud Sounds When Walking
Because a floating floor is not bonded to the subfloor, it will have a more hollow sound. Some people refer to this as ‘Click Clack’ flooring. Therefore, you can expect that the floorboards of lighter weight can give that hollow feeling as you walk on them. They can be loud underfoot, as well, particularly if you installed laminate, which is very hard compared to other flooring types. Different underlays can change the sound you hear underfoot, but they will not eliminate it. However, as with everything, one person’s whisper is another person’s scream.
3. Floating Floors Usually Cannot Be Refinished
Unfortunately, you cannot refinish most floating floors. Laminate and hybrid cannot be sanded and refinished because of the types of wear layers that they use. They are however much more durable than the polyurethane coatings on timber floors. This said though, once they are scratched, they are scratched, although this is particularly difficult to do in the case of laminate flooring.
Bamboo flooring is also designed in a way that is not conducive to sanding and recoating because of the aluminium oxides that are used in the coats. This typically makes them harder than most timber coatings, but they are still inferior to laminate and hybrid floors in their durability.
Engineered hardwood flooring can be refinished, but it is quite difficult. While the timber veneer on a floating floor can in most cases be sanded and recoated multiple times, the challenge lies in the sanding process. The fact that a floating floor is not bonded to the subfloor means that it can ‘bounce’ under the high-speed revolution of a poly-vac that is used to sand the floor. This can leave radial marks on the floor known as ‘chatter marks’ as the floor bounces under the sander.
4 Main Types of Floating Floorboards
Now that you have weighed the pros and cons, it’s time to find out what your choices are when it comes to the plank materials. Four main types of flooring are most commonly used with the floating floor method of installation, and they are:
1. Laminate
Laminate flooring is a prime example of a floating floor. This material is almost exclusively laid as a floating floor. Whilst some suppliers will allow their laminate to be glued, this generally does not happen, as laminate flooring is mostly viewed as a temporary flooring solution.
Using laminate is preferred by many homeowners because it is inexpensive, yet a highly durable style of floating floor. At the higher end, laminate can become a little pricey, but the durability of these products, as well as their ability to resist wear and tear better than other flooring types, makes them one of the best value long term flooring options.
2. Hybrid Flooring
Hybrid Flooring is the new kid on the block and has become a great all-rounder. In the mid-price range where most people buy, the value that Hybrid gives is hard to beat. It is completely waterproof and very good in almost every other area.
Because it drew on technologies in both Vinyl Plank Flooring and Laminate Flooring, Hybrid has encountered fewer issues in its infancy than other flooring categories.
3. Engineered Timber
Engineered timber is installed in the same way as other floating floors when it is floated. The benefit of choosing engineered wood or timber is that it’s lightweight, durable, and easy to care for. This is an excellent option if you have always wanted to have a wood floor. It is constructed with several layers of timbers and finished with the hardwood species that you have purchased.
The Core and Backing layers of an Engineered Timber Floor are generally made from purpose-grown, plantation woods. This significantly reduces the amount of slow-growing hardwood that is used in the top veneer when compared to solid timber flooring.
4. Bamboo
Bamboo flooring has become less popular over the last few years but is another natural flooring option like engineered timber. Until recently, this was made of pressed bamboo strands into planks that were 12-14mm thick.
More recently, engineered bamboo flooring has become available utilising a 3-4mm Bamboo veneer in place of a timber veneer. This has greatly increased the stability of bamboo as a flooring option as previously bamboo was viewed as quite temperamental.
The Floating Floor Installation Process
Whether or not you have decided on using a floating floor for your home, you can agree that it’s nice to know how the installation process will go.
As we have mentioned above, the installation is pretty straightforward. Imagine the planks locking together to complete a jigsaw puzzle. Each floorboard’s edge will lock together with a click-lock system. This engineering marvel makes everything easy for you, ensuring the planks do not shift, move, or come apart on top of the subfloor, provided that they are installed correctly. So, if you are looking forward to a DIY floor installation, this may just be what you are searching for.
Here are the installation steps:
- First, you need to prepare the subfloor. This potentially painstaking step is crucial to guarantee that there are no flaws on the subfloor. The process can take hours, perhaps even longer than the installation of the product itself, depending on the state of the subfloor. If the subfloor is in a particularly bad way, you may need to engage a professional. It is critical for the longevity of your floor that this process is not a shortcut.
- The next step is to apply your underlay to the subfloor. You can skip this step if you are using a hybrid floor. The underlay is a thin layer of resilient foam or rubber, that prevents the flooring from making contact with the subfloor. It will also stop any grit that you cannot see as you install the floor crunching between the flooring and the subfloor.
- Your next job is now to assemble the planks. You have to begin on one wall and continue across the opposite wall. There should be a slight gap along the walls when installing the floorboards. This space is essential since the flooring can expand and contract depending on the humidity and temperature. The installation guide for your product will tell you what is required here.
- You can hide the gaps around the perimeter using your existing skirting boards. If you choose not to remove your skirting, you can instead install beading known as ‘scotia’.
Remember that floating floors are not fixed. You do not have to nail or glue them to the subfloor; hence the name “floating.” It’s what makes them easy to install since you can unlock them from each other and try again if you have made a mistake. If you install the product correctly, they will withstand whatever you throw at them in everyday life. For more flooring installation tips we recommend this post.
Expert Insights From Dean Billett
28+ Years of flooring industry experience
My biggest concern with floating floors is if subfloor preparation has been done correctly or not. If the subfloor exceeds a 3mm tolerance variation, it causes problems, such as snapped joints, buckling, and noise issues due to air pockets under the floor. There are rarely any complications if the floor is completely flat or within 3mm.
The installation itself is easly doable for a DIYer, but this is separate from subfloor preparation which is sometimes better left to a professional to complete.
A DIY person can quickly test the subfloor level by:
- Buy 2 meter or three-meter straight edge from any decent hardware store.
- Place the straight edge on the floor and view from the side to see if there are gaps in the middle.
- If you can fit a 3mm space or more between that gap, then that part of the floor needs to be levelled.
- Use the straight edge to test the whole area.
Most professionals will level the subfloor by first working from the high spot and seeing if anything can be grounded back for a quick fix. Once you know the most elevated place, the inconsistencies in the floor are marked out based on height from there using the straight edge and a measuring device.
Should You Choose Floating Floors for Your Home?
To get the best out of a floating floor, always choose wisely. Remember too, that the cost of installation of a cheap floating floor is often the same as installing a better one. That means that if you have to replace a cheap floor, it becomes far more expensive than putting down a quality one the first time.
You can talk to Online Flooring Store before you buy to get advice, as well. Here at Online Flooring Store, we have knowledgeable people who can help you find the perfect floor for you and your home. Contact us today!
