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.