What Is A Floating Floor?

Picking out your flooring can be a fun yet stressful time for a homeowner. There are so many choices that you could make to make your home look beautiful on the inside. Floors are always the biggest draw for guests and homeowners. They accent a home with enhanced aesthetics. Whether you have hardwood floors, tile floors, or floating floors you want to ensure that they match the decor of your home. If you aren’t sure which type is the best for you, study up on them before making a purchase. One of the more recent popular choices due to the low cost is a floating floor. What is a floating floor? It is flooring that does not require glue, staples, or nails. The floors are unsecured.

Let’s take a look below at some more details regarding floating floors.

How Do I Know It Is A Floating Floor?

A floating floor is unique and it describes flooring that is not attached to a subfloor with staples, glue, or nails. Each plank or panel secures to each other by an adhesive or a locking system. It lays on top of the subfloor and looks like it “floats.”

Subfloors can be made of various materials such as plywood, concrete, or particleboard. Sometimes it is an installed floor that was already there.

What Are The Types Of Floating Floors?

Let’s take a look at the three types of floating floors that are most commonly used.

1. Laminate Flooring – This is a popular choice for floating floors. Laminate usually is not glued down and the flooring can expand and contract according to the changes in the relative humidity in a room. It does this without buckling. These types of planks have a tongue and groove system and are joined along the edges and the system is usually called “click-lock” or “fold-and-lock.” There are several manufacturers so the shape of the grooves that interlock may be different. A good type of flooring that lasts 15-20 years.
2. Luxury Vinyl Flooring (LVF) – also known as vinyl plank flooring, is similar to laminate planks. However, some types of this can be glued to the floor. This type also can lock together. Lastly, some of these planks are semi-flexible or rigid.
3. Engineered Wood Flooring – this type of engineered hardwood flooring uses nails and staples to attach it to a subfloor made of plywood. Some brands will be installed like floating floors. They are similar to laminate flooring in that they have a surface layer that is decorative and glued over plywood.

What Are The Pros And Cons?

There are always pros and cons to things that we buy or want to use in our homes. Let’s see what those are for floating floors.

Pros

• Floating floors are not expensive.
• If a plank is damaged, it is easy to replace.
• For the DIY’ers, it is an easy installation.

Cons

• This type of flooring could lower the real estate value, depending on where you live and the type of home you have.
• The flooring may be loud when walked on and feel like it is hollow.
• It can feel hollow and loud underfoot.
• If the floor starts to look worn out, it cannot be refinished so replacing the plank(s) will be needed.

Other Recommended Maintenance

Now that you know more about floating flooring, let’s take a look at other areas of maintenance. One of those is vinyl flooring. Vinyl flooring is a cheap synthetic material flooring option that is durable and easy to install. Due to moisture, temperature, and foot traffic, it can also expand and contract.

Next, sometimes we may find sagging floors in a home. Is this a cause to worry? Maybe. It may be due to foundation problems, high moisture, or ground shifts. It’s a good idea to get it checked out.

Lastly, after taking a look at the floors in the kitchen, take a walk over to the garbage disposal. You may notice that it is clogged. Putting a drain cleaner in the garbage disposal may be okay in some cases but it is better to use a plunger, cold water, baking soda, vinegar, or ice and salt.

When Do I Call A Professional?

If you aren’t sure how to put the flooring in, it is a good idea to call a professional installer. One needs to be knowledgeable about proper installation to do it correctly. Also, you want to know that the type of flooring you have chosen is best for your home and environment. Call your local home inspection team if you aren’t sure where to buy your flooring or need help finding a professional installation team to do it for you.

Conclusion

We always want to make sure our home looks nice and most homeowners are always looking for the best ways to spruce up their living space. Flooring is always a great way to change the appearance of a home. There are even some types of flooring that look like wood but are actually tile. Reach out to your local home inspection team if you need help with a flooring company and the type that works best for your home and budget. Reach out to, Advantage Inspections to have ana home inspection conducted here in West Central, Florida.