When you are looking to save both time and money for a hardwood floor, choosing floating hardwood floors is something that you may want to consider. You will find that you can find them in just about every variety that is available for standard floors and that depending upon where they are getting installed, they are actually the wiser choice.
Engineered flooring is something that a lot of DIY installers are using. You avoid the time consuming detail work of staining and finishing and they are often much easier to put down. These styles of floors are constructed over several layers with the top layer being a thin sample of the wood of your choice.
When you are looking at the different types of floating hardwood floors, you will see that there are basically three different styles that you will have to choose from. Something that is very popular is the two strip design because it gives the appearance of boards that are lying side by side. In contrast, you have a one strip design that has more of a plank look.
A very big concern when you put down hardwood flooring is how it is going to react to the change in climates throughout the year. Wood will naturally retract as the conditions become dry and will then re-expand as moisture is introduced back into the air.
When you use standard hardwood floors, it is generally attached to a sub floor that is made of plywood. As the conditions change, the floor shifts and is actually fighting against this sub floor and separation is not uncommon. You may also see warping or bubbling of the floor. With floating hardwood floors, the whole unit is moving together and this means that the wood can sustain itself much better under these conditions.
We had briefly touched on the sub floor that has to be put down on a standard floor. This of course means more work for you as you have to not only put down the hardwood floor, but also have to measure, cut and install the sub floor. In many cases, floating hardwood floors can be put down directly over any surface, including concrete and tile.
While you will have just about every wood type imaginable to choose from, there are two styles of fabrication that are separated by both quality and price. One style is actually cut with a large blade that basically peels the wood from the source. You will see a wide grain and it will be much less expensive. For a truer look, choose a sliced cut floating floor that has a tighter grain and a truer likeness to regular hardwood flooring.
If all of this has not yet convinced you to go with floating hardwood floors, all you need to do is look at how long they last for. If they are cared for properly, you are looking at more than 40 years of life from this flooring. When you consider the fact that these floors are very popular in the climates that destroys regular hardwood floors, the decision does not seem so difficult to make.
