If you’re currently planning on undertaking a home renovation project and are comparing and contrasting a few different flooring options available for you to choose from – then you might currently be wondering about whether floating wood floors are a good idea or not.
The spark of many conversations in the flooring industry, floating wood flooring looks sophisticated and sleek, but can also come with its fair share of stress!
Sure, even though you might have your heart set on trading in your outdated flooring for covered floating wood floors, you should first take the time to consider the benefits and drawbacks of this type of flooring.
As we’re sure that many of you already know (especially if you’ve already begun researching the different types of flooring out there) a floating wood floor actually refers to an installation method used to install the flooring, rather than the actual flooring itself.
Unlike other types of flooring on the market, a floating floor doesn’t require a subfloor, and can instead be installed over an existing surface. If you want to revive your existing woodfloors, check out our article here.
What are floating floors?
As we’ve already discussed above, the term floating floors actually refers to a specific type of installation method, rather than the actual material of the flooring itself. For this reason, besides wood flooring, you can get a variety of other floating floor materials, too.
Most traditionally, the common types of methods required for installing flooring consist of either gluing the flooring down or alternatively opting to nail the flooring down into the floor. These two types of flooring are the most permanent out of all types, which is why floating floors have risen to more prominence in recent times.
If you are considering getting a floating floor, then you may have also seen them being referred to as a click-together floor. Unlike other types of flooring, floating floors require you to snap together the flooring planks in order to create a complex tongue and groove system that will allow you to click all of the planks into place above the surface of your choice.
So, in other words, the installation process of floating floors will simply require you to lock the wooden flooring planks end-to-end until the subfloor has been completely covered. Then, due to the pressure of the connection – it means that they do not require glue or nails.
By taking the time to familiarize yourself with the pros and cons of floating wood floors, you will be ensuring that you will be able to make the most well-informed choice as to whether or not it’s right for you.
So, to help you make that decision, let’s break the pros and cons of floating wood floors down below:
Pros and cons:
Pros
- Cost-effective
Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of opting to install floating wood floors is that they can save you a whole lot of money. Unlike other types of flooring options, floating floors generally tend to cost a lot less simply due to the fact that they are a lot easier to install and require little know-how to do it.
- Easy to replace
As compared to other types of flooring, floating wood flooring is a lot easier to replace if damaged than other types of flooring because they do not require the need to be fastened to any subflooring. Thanks to this, if you do happen to need to replace a plank or simply want to change the flooring for whatever reason, then all you will need to do is simply unclick the planks, and install the new ones!
- Ideal for DIY’ers
Besides being super cost-effective and simple and easy to replace, another huge advantage of opting for floating floors is the fact that they usually don’t require you to call in the help of a professional to install them!
Even though it’s always recommended to get the help of a professional flooring expert to do the job for you, out of all the different types of flooring out there, floating floors are by far the easiest of all to install, and require very little know-how to do it.
Cons
- Might need to be replaced more frequently
One of the biggest downsides to opting to install floating floors in your home is the fact that they may need to be replaced more frequently than other types of more permanent flooring options. This can be a pretty big issue for those who do not want to have to deal with a high-maintenance flooring choice, so you should consider this prior to choosing to go for floating floors.
Moreso, we recommend considering another type of flooring if you find that you have a busy household filled with plenty of high-impact activities.
- Floating floors can increase sound
Another potential drawback of opting to install floating flooring in your home is the fact that they are known to increase sound due to the fact that they are not glued or nailed down. When flooring has been nailed or glued down to the subfloor, it means that there is a much lower chance of footsteps due to the fact that there is less space between the floor and subfloor.
In contrast, due to the fact that floating flooring does not get glued or nailed down to the subfloor, it means that there is a much higher chance of noise whenever it is walked over, which may be an issue for those who want their steps to be quiet.
- Floating floors can be damaged by high levels of humidity
Another disadvantage of floating flooring is that they have a higher chance of becoming damaged from high levels of humidity than other types of flooring. Due to the space between the floor and the subfloor, it means that there is a chance that moisture could accumulate there, and this could lead to distortion of the flooring, as well as the risk of mold growing between the flooring and subfloor, too.