Installing floating floor can be a cheap and easy way to redecorate a room in your home – but how does it compare to an ordinary concrete or hardwood floor? And is floating floor installation worth it?
in this article
What is a Floating Floor?
A floating floor is a property surface that isn’t nailed into a room but snapped into place or glued to or over the subfloor or existing floor that is already laid out in the room in question. It can be laid directly onto the floor and used as either the final, finished flooring or else the base for holding up a new, hardwood floor. Because it isn’t nailed in it allows for additional room between the flooring layers, which in turn allows for the contraction and expansion of the material under pressure and gives the home-owner additional room in the crawl space for sound insulation. The section between both floors is then covered by skirting boards and/or carved mouldings for decorative purposes, and to ensure the floating floor remains secure.
Benefits of a Floating Floor
There are numerous advantages when installing a floating floor on your property, including the following:
- As outlined above, a floating floor can be installed directly onto any kind of subfloor you have in your home – whether it is made of concrete, plywood or ceramic tiling, it can be applied straight on – so you don’t have to worry about providing an underlay before getting started.
- As previously stated, a floating floor also gives you extra crawl space between the surface and bottom of the fitted flooring, giving you the additional room to apply and/or install fibreglass, felt or cork layering for added sound and heated insulation – giving you the chance to make your home more efficient and eco-friendly.
- This extra room also allows the floating floor to contract and expand during frosty weather or rapid changes in temperature, reducing the risk of cracks or hairline fractures appearing in the wood and helping the floor last longer.
- A floating floor is also strong and durable, even when it is fitted as a suspended floor rather than directly onto the existing subfloor.
- By installing a new floating floor you can also level out any imperfections or uneven levelling on the substrate without having to get someone in to sand it all down first.
- For DIY enthusiasts a floating floor is also easy to lay and fit, especially if you want to apply the new wood directly onto a hard surface or you are using a lock-in, snapped floating flooring.
- Finally, floating floor installation is less expensive than solid hardwood, and yet if fitted properly and carefully varnished, it can look just as authentic and equally as good – making it a perfect addition to almost any room in your home!
Floating Floor Installation Tips
Anyone with a bit of DIY experience or capable of reading manual instructions should be able of installing a floating floor in their property with just a couple of eager helpers. If it is a floating floor that is laid directly onto the existing sub-floor, you can snap and glue the new wooden panelling into place in less than a day if you’re quick – all it takes is starting from the far side of the room and working your way backwards, staggering the joints and sanding down or cutting the panelling where it over-stretches the mark.
If you want to separate the floating floor from the subfloor by making use of the crawl-space, you might need to take a bit of extra time during the planning stage of installation – just to make sure you suspend the panelling at the right length and glue the floor onto the vertical boards without risking the floor simply falling through!
If you lack the confidence in this sort of DIY, you can alternatively hire a flooring fitter to do the work for you – just remember to shop around for the best deal in your local area before you sign any kind of contract!