Floating Floors
What are the advantages of a floating
floor?
* Posted by: CatherineID (My Page) on Fri, Apr 16,
04 at 0:46
Laminate floating floors
have the benefit of being a hard surface with the benefit of having a padding
under it. So the hard surface is a little gentler on your feet, knees and back.
A floating floor is also designed to lock together so you end up with a seamless
look. Tile is laid separately then grout applied. A wood floor will expand and
contract along the tongue and groove. Many engineered wood floors are designed
with a "micro-bevel" which can catch dirt and grit. Even a sheet vinyl floor
will have a texture imprinted on the surface that is heavier than most floating
laminate. Floating floors won't telescope any imperfections in the subfloor like
a glued down sheet vinyl can.
*
Posted by: raptorbu2001 (My Page) on Fri, Apr 16, 04 at
10:06
To add to CatherineID's
comment...a floating floor does give you the benefit of a softer feel. The
comments made on this page are true but somewhat insignificant. One of the main
reasons a floated floor benefits over a glue down or nailed floor is that it is
not attached to the subfloor. Why is this good? If the subfloor is concrete you
can have moisture rise through the slab, when you glue to it you smother the
slab and the moisture can build up under the floor and ruin it. Also, a floating
floot is connected together and works as one large piece. This means that
instead of each individual board expanding and contracting and creating gaps or
swelling as in a glue down or nailed floor; the entire floor expands and
contracts together because it is not attached and this eliminates the seasonal
gaps and swelling that is usually involved in other types of installations. If
you have the option to float a floor, do
it.
* Posted by: titan2 (My Page)
on Fri, Apr 16, 04 at 11:32
Another
reason some use a floating installation rather than glue down is that it can be
placed over surfaces that have imperfections, making prep much easier. For
example, if you have old ceramic tile or linoleum on the floor and did not want
to rip it out for some reason, then floating over this would allow you to get
around removal of the existing floor, assuming that height was not going to be a
problem.
Posted: Sun - May 16, 2004 at 11:48 PM