Floating Floors Glue and Allergy

One of my readers sent me this question:

I have been diagnosed with allergy to glue and I'd like to know if I can install floating floors in my house without worsening my allergy symptoms.

Dear Tim, there's no need to buy a floating floor that needs glueing, because there are more modern solutions which use the click system to stay together, so glue is out of the question. If you insist on getting a floor that uses glue, do it, but do not install it yourself, because it smells a lot and you may worsen your allergy. Have somebody else to install the flooring for you and try to arrange it while you are away for at least one week.

When installing such a floor, the glue in excess cannot be removed immediately. Usually it is left in place, so it hardens very well, then it is removed after 24 hours or so. During all this time, the glue vapors are annoying, especially for people who are sensitive to this allergen.

If you haven't bought your laminated floor yet, check out the click systems, as the price is in the same range and you won't have to deal with glue at all. You can even install such a flooring by yourself, if so you wish.

Floating Cork Flooring: Good or Bad Idea?

The new floating click floors are so easy to install that almost everybody can do it. The system which makes the planks attach to each other is simple: the egde profile does it all - it's pretty much like the harpoons tips - once you've put them in place by gliding on one direction, the reverse movement is impossible, thanks to the profiles which block the two sides in place.

When we think of floating floors, the first thought that comes to mind is that they have to be extremely rigid, so they don't bend under the weight of people and furniture in a home. However, this is not always true. Floating cork floors are now available for people who want to create a fuzzy, warm flooring in their rooms.

Floating Cork Flooring Advantages

The main advantage of cork floors is that they are resilient and gentle. It is a pleasure to step on such soft floors, even when walking barefoot. If you have small children you can consider such floor types for the baby's room, or even for the entire house.

Another big advantage is that cork floors are anti-microbial, non-toxic and environment-friendly. As "green buildings" are nowadays in big vogue, you may want to know that cork is as green as can be, when it comes to construction materials.

Cork floors offer a very efficient noise reduction, especially if you choose the planks with at least 6mm thickness. Some people use cork flooring as underlayment for their other floors, in order to reduce sounds.

How are cork floors made? They are a by-product of the bottle cork production. The waste from those factories is further processed in sheets and cut to the desired dimensions, to form your future floating floor.

This explains their relatively low price, which averages $4-$5 per square foot.

What To Know When Choosing Cork Flooring

In case you have pets, you need to be aware that floating cork floors are more fragile than laminated or hardwood floors. A cat with sharp claws and bad habits can easily ruin your brand new cork floor and find a special pleasure in doing so.

If you want to have a cork floor in your bathroom, by no means should you install a floating one. Use only tiles, not planks, and make sure to seal the floor very well on all edges. Molds and mildew are great dangers in humid places. This is why you'd better refrain from using cork as the flooring choice in bathrooms or kitchens.

When using a radiant sub-floor heating system, you should be aware that cork has excellent thermal insulating properties, so your floor will take longer than usual to radiate heat. In this case, you should get a specialist install the flooring for you, because it needs to be put into position at a stable temperature of 75 degrees.

There are many floating cork flooring manufacturers, in most of the countries. In some cases, they will even ship you a sample of floor for as little as $25, so you can see it before you buy it.

Floating Hardwood Floors

Hardwood has a special touch of elegance and style. Maybe this is the reason why people choose such floating hardwood floors when renovating their houses. They all want the beauty of hardwood combined with the easiness in installation and maintenance of floating flooring. Although it may seem difficult, if not impossible, to have such heavy floors float, it is possible, if you take care of several factors when installing your floors:

• The basis needs to be as flat as possible, without bumps or curves which may result in your floor getting broken under the weight of your steps or under your furniture. If your ground is not flat, it is advisable to consider pouring a layer of self-leveling concrete before installing the floating floor.
• The hardwood floor planks need to be very dry. This means that they have to be stored in a dry place for at least one year, prior to installing them. If they are not properly prepared, they will contract, leading to a damaged floor. Don't imagine that if you glue the pieces together they would move as a whole. This doesn't always happen.
• The climate needs to be steady in terms of humidity. Variations cause the floor slats to migrate against each other resulting in poor appearance and unexpected damages. If you live in such an area of the globe, it would be better for you to choose an engineered floating floor. These floors are more stable, they don't expand so much with the moisture, and they look good as well.
• When installing, allow the floating floor an expansion zone nearby the walls. Never attach it firmly to fixed surfaces, or it will become buckled, resulting in strange noises when you walk and in misfit areas.

Remember that floating floor advantages are only visible when it is perfectly installed. This why, in case you cannot handle it, you'd better leave it to the specialists. Even if the tongue and groove system seem easy to get assembled by ordinary do-it-yourself fans, in the particular case of floating hardwood floors it may simply not be true.

Floating Floor Advantages

A floating floor is a floor that is installed without requiring nailing, stapling or gluing to another surface. This is one of its biggest advantages: clean installation, with very little room for mistakes. Domestic floating floors can be assimilated to laminate flooring, and they usually are used as synonyms. However, a laminated flooring isn't necessarily floating: there are laminate floors which are installed by using glue and some ropes to keep the panes in place until the glue dries.

Being so easy to install and relatively cheap, compared to other flooring materials such as ceramic tiles or stone, there's no wonder that floating floors are in the top of preferences when it comes to renovating floors.

Floating Floors Types

Not being fixed to the subfloor, floating floors are usually installed over a layer of cushioning material. This allows shock absorption and reduces the noise level of the steps.

As of the types of floating floors, we have the following:

• glue together: this is the older version of floating floor, which was assembled with the help of glue and pressure applied on the planks
• click together: instead of using glue to bind pieces together, their edges are shaped in such a way that they click together when combined and tapped on the edge toward each other. This system is called "nut und feder", tongue-and-groove, or enter click
• lock and fold: this is the newest floating floor system and it is the fastest installing one, as it doesn't require anymore tapping of the planks
  

The enter click system is so easy to install, that an experienced installer can finish the flooring for one room in less than half a day, including the cuttings required for shaping the floor to match the room profile.

As of the materials, floating floors can be made of hardwood, bamboo, or even cork and they may simulate ceramic, slate or woodgrain. The surface layer of laminate flooring is very tough and hard to scratch, but the middle layer is the so-called HDF , which stands for high-density fiberboard. This HDF layer needs to be kept away from water, and this is why the waterproof intermediary layer between the floor and the subfloor is necessary. This is also why laminated floor manufacturers do not recommend their installation in bathrooms or kitchens, where the humidity levels are high and water may penetrate to the hdf layer, producing swelling and breaking the flooring.

Floating Floor Advantages

There are several reasons why more and more people choose floating floors or laminate flooring as the perfect solution for replacing old floors:

1. Floating floors are less expensive than other flooring choices. If you choose the thinner planks, you can pay as little as $4-$5 per square foot. Carpets are more expensive than this.
2. Floating floors are quick and easy to install. If you are a little bit skilled, replacing your flooring can be a perfect do-it-yourself job. You need very few tools and there are not so many mistakes you can possible make.
3. Laminated floors can be cleaned easily. You can vacuum clean them, you can use a steam cleaner, or you can wash them with a simple mop with water. If you don't soak them excessively, they'd be fine. If you want, you can use a special floor detergent for cleaning.
   
4. Hardwood floating floors are safer for allergy sufferers. Carpets accumulate a lot of dust. If you are allergic to dust mites, then you know how often you need to wash your carpets in order to stay symptoms-free as long as possible. With laminate floors, less dust will reside in your home and you'll breathe better. This is valid for homes with pets as well. Less hairs on the floors means less cleaning for you to do, which translates in more free time to take care of your hobbies.
   
5. Floating flooring is available in a wide range of finishes and colors, so you can find a match for practically any furniture and home decor accessories you may have in your house.

Manufacturers and distributors of flooring solutions may differ from state to state, but really big flooring companies have subsidiaries almost everywhere in the world, where there's a need for floating floors.

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