All About Floating Wood Floors
by Jeff Hosking – Hosking Hardwood Flooring Inc.
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Floating engineered wood floors - How are they made?
Floating wood floors - shown in Red Oak Hardwood Flooring above - are basically built the same as other engineered wood floors, which have multiple thin ply layers (see picture below) that are glued together. The inner cores are generally either a hardwood and/or soft ply- wood type of material, which incorporates the tongue and groove system. The top hardwood veneer wear layer is glued on top surface of the core and is available in almost any hardwood species.
There are three basic styles of Floating Floors:
The "Longstrip" Floating Engineered Wood Flooring - shown above in White Oak Hardwood Flooring, is manufactured approx 9/16 thick x 7-1/2 wide x 8-foot long panels. The surface hardwood wear layer usually consists of a 3-strip design, which is made up using smaller individual hardwood pieces that are laid along this large panel in three rows. They generally have between 17 and 35 pieces that make up the top wear layer of each panel. Examples can be seen here Harris Wood T-Loc Clic Traditions Longstrip.
Floating wood floors are also available in a 1, 2 or 3 strip design, The 1 Strip design design will give you a wide plank look. The 2 Strip design will look like two boards side by side. Examples of these 1, 2 and 3 strip products can be seen from Kahrs here: Kahrs Wood Flooring
More and more Manufacturers that previously only allowed their engineered flooring to be direct glued or stapled down are now allowing their engineered wood flooring the option to also be floated. They are also inventing new and easier ways of installing their floating floors by just quickly "Click Locking" them together without the need for any glue. Their wood flooring boards generally range in width from 3 to 5 inches and up to 48 inches long. Examples can be seen here: Mannington Engineered flooring or Lauzon NextStep Engineered Wood Flooring
Why use the Floating installation method?
Expansion and contraction (movement) within any wood flooring takes place when prolonged relative humidity changes occur within the homes environment. Engineered wood flooring is overall more stable than solid wood flooring and separations between boards during the relative humidity changes are less with any engineered flooring which adds to their appeal to use in basements or in tropical regions of the country where higher moisture levels are common. The benefits of using Floating wood floors is that the floor boards are connected to themselves, not to the sub floor making the whole floor move independently as one "Unit", thus the seams between the floorboards will not open up and any movement within the floor is only evident around the edges of the room which is covered by the baseboard or 3/4 round molding on top. With any wood flooring that is direct glued or stapled down to the subfloor the floor boards will act independently from each other and possibly show gaps or cupping between the boards if the relative humidity is too low or too high for a prolonged period of time.
Most engineered flooring brands can also be direct glued-down over a concrete slab above or below grade, or stapled down over a wood subfloor. Floating wood floors can be installed on any grade level. Most manufacturers allow their floating floors to be installation over other flooring such a tile, vinyl and radiant heat.
Like engineered floors, Floating wood floors come in a wide variety of colors and available in domestic and exotic hardwood species. Depending on the manufacturer you can also sand and refinish, or recoat most Floating wood flooring up to 3 times if properly done -- which adds to their appeal. They should last 40-80 years before needing replacement, depending on the amount of wear and tear the floor will get. Floating wood floors are an easy DIY installation.
Engineered floating floors are also manufactured two ways, one having a Sliced (sawn) cut where the hardwood wear layer is sawn like regular lumber this shows finer graining. This is the more expensive way but it shows the true look of the wood more. Floating Wood Flooring wear layer can also be Rotary cut, which the veneer hardwood wear layer is peeled off the log using big lathes. This peeling method shows dramatic wilder graining.
Q. What is the advantage of using a Floating wood floor over the other types such as a regular engineered floor or a Solid nail down floor?
A. Most floating floors can be installed over most (flat - well secured) ceramic tile, concrete slabs, vinyl flooring, and be installed where there is a slightly higher moisture content -- like over slabs with the use of a vapor barrier such as 4-6 mil plastic and foam pad, and in tropical regions of the country. The Click Loc installation style makes the installation fast and easy. Floating floors from reputable manufacturers that have a 3/16 wear layer can be sanded and refinished up to 2-3 times and can last 40-80 years or more.
Q. Does it matter what size width board or color to use? Is one width better than another?
A. No, I would suggest using whatever width board you prefer aesthetically. The rule of thumb is that a narrower board will give you a more formal look and feel to your home. A wider board (over 4 inches wide), will give you a more Country look and feel.
Floor Color is a personal choice that would have more to do with your personal tastes and decor. A natural light colored wood floor will go with any décor and will lighten up any room. I usually suggest not using dark colored flooring if your room decor is very dark or very small.
Q. Can I use a Floating wood floor in my basement?
A. Yes, this is what floating floors were designed for. Basements are known to have slightly higher relative humidity due to being under the ground. It is recommended to use a floating engineered wood floor in any areas where there is a slightly higher normal relative humidity.
Q. Can I install a Floating floor over other floor coverings such as vinyl or tile?
A. Yes, as long as the other flooring is a hard surface, secured well and is flat. You cannot install any wood flooring over carpet.
Q. Can I Glue down a Floating wood floor over my concrete Slab?
A. Yes, most manufacturers of engineered floating floors also allow their floating wood flooring to be direct glued over concrete. You should make certain that your slab is dry and that the moisture content does not exceed 4%.
Q. Are all Brands of Floating floors the same?
A. No, like anything else you purchase there can be big differences in quality. Some manufacturers use a lower quality wood along with low grade, cheaper bonding glues for their ply layers. Their milling could also be off and their finish quality could be poor. I suggest staying away from names you never heard of and only use Name Brand hardwood flooring from manufacturers that have been around for a long time. They will be the ones who will generally stand behind their flooring if something should go wrong.
Q. Are there different grades of Floating Engineered flooring?
A. Yes, Wood flooring manufacturers make a second and third grade available, which would show more light and dark boards along with more pronounced character -- with the possibility of small pinholes and knots. In our descriptions, we note whether natural character should be expected. What is extremely popular nowadays is a rustic or hand scraped look.
Q. Can I install my own Floating Wood Floor?
A. Yes, installing prefinished wood flooring is very easy. If you can measure a board, cut and glue it to another board, then you can install our hardwood flooring. It is an easy and rewarding way to save a lot of money -- doing it yourself. Our flooring comes with easy to follow instructions. Standard tool knowledge and common sense would naturally help. If you purchase your flooring from Hosking Hardwood Flooring, we gladly take the time to walk you through your installation.
Q. How much flooring do I need to order? Why do I have to add 5% to my square footage?
A. We provide easy to follow instructions as to how to measure your rooms, see our Measuring Tips page. It is important to remember that all manufacturers recommend adding 5% to your actual square footage. This added 5% is recommended to cover boards that you may not want to use, that may have gotten by the inspection process at the factory and for cutting and fitting waste.
If you want to run the flooring at a 45-degree angle in the room then you would want to add approx 15% for a waste factor for the added cutting waste.
Q. What tools am I going to need to install a Floating wood floor?
A. You will need some small basic tools such as, a Combination Square, Miter saw, Hammer, Jig saw, small table saw, a pull bar, a few packages of small wood shims and a tapping block. All of these items are available for purchase at your local lumberyard or for rent (inexpensively) at your local rental store.
Q. What are the benefits of using Prefinished flooring rather than Unfinished flooring?
A. Purchasing prefinished flooring eliminates the time consuming chore of the sanding and refinishing and gives you the added benefit of a perfect finish all done for you at the factory. Most of the brand name manufacturers carry a variety of stained colors to choose from and are coated with a durable 7-10 coats of the Aluminum oxide finish, which are far more durable for wear than anything that can be purchased in a hardware store, or home center. Using prefinished flooring allows you to move right back into the room after installation. No waiting for days while the finish is being applied and drying!
All wood floors will react to the presence of moisture. In the dry winter heating months, moisture leaves the wood causing the floor to contract, which can leave unsightly gaps between each plank. In the summer months when the humidity is higher the wood will expand and the gaps will disappear. If there is too much moisture it may cause the wood planks to cup, or buckle. This is why it is important when installing a wood floor to and to acclimate the wood prior to installation and leave the proper expansion area around the perimeter. It is also important to keep the relative humidity at between 30 - 65% with all engineered flooring.
At Hosking Hardwood Flooring we only sell 1st Quality Hardwood Flooring, we do not sell 2nds, or mis-milled flooring.
Re-cap on the benefits of buying a Floating engineered wood floor:
1. Floating floors have a Lifespan anywhere from 40 to over 80 years.
2. Using an floating floor allows you to have a wood floor on any grade level.
3. Better suited for humid areas of the country.
4. Floating wood floors allow you to float the new flooring over wood subfloors, concrete slabs and other, well-secured types of floor coverings.
5. Floating wood floors are very easy and fast to install.
6. Longstrip Floating wood floors are usually available in longer lengths than standard engineered flooring.
7. Engineered Floating floors are usually less expensive than a high end engineered flooring.
8. Most Longstrip Floating floors can be sanded and refinished new again if needed.
9. Hardwood flooring is the only floor covering that increases the value of your home.
10. Hardwood flooring does not cause allergies, recommended to use by allergists.
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