When you install hardwood floors on a cushioned underlay and not directly on a sub floor, it is referred to as floating hardwood floors.

The benefit of having floating hardwood floors is that they are more comfortable on the feet than hard cold floors such as stone, marble, granite or ceramic tiles.

PAST TRENDS IN FLOATING HARDWOOD FLOORS

Before the latest trends in floating hardwood floors, the tongue & groove floor board strips were glued together with woodworkers glue, whereby glue was applied into the grooves and the tongue was fixed into the groove.

After the glue application and the fixing, the floating hardwood floor was then tapped into place with a hammer and a tapping block.

Now, there is the lock and fold system, where no glue is required. The boards are now fitted on a cushioned underlay and the strips are connected one at a time, with adjoining pieces actually folding over to create a secured connection or fit.

Preparing the sub floor before installation is key to a perfect finish. It must be clean and free of specks or dirt. It must be even and level. Installing floating hardwood floors is quite straight forward as long as the right preparation has been done.

Some manufacturers produce hardwood floors with a clip system where boards are milled with channels on the backside. Metal clips are now used to connect each board from the back.

Most floating hardwood floors are engineered because hardwoods expand and contract easily because of moisture changes in the atmosphere. So because of this, stair treads for example, are about two or sometimes three pieces glued and clamped together so when they expand or contract as a whole, it is barely noticeable.

The stair treads have only eleven inches of expansion properties across the width or depth and this allows the changes be problem free. The tongue and groove system, planed and squared, leaves potential voids everywhere.

However, if you create one big block of wood from many strips glued together, it will eventually 'explode' under the atmospheric conditions. Never net fit a floating floor to a fixed object. Doing so will cause tenting or buckling of the floor, so always allow for expansion room as much as is possible.

Floating hardwood floors can be fitted over existing ceramic tiled floors and sub floors such a particle boards etc, that are not recommended for nailing and gluing of hardwood floors, but not all engineered products can be floated successfully. The manufacturers instructions and specifications will help out, when in doubt.

If you feel a bit funny about that hollow feel underfoot with floating hardwood floors, thicker strips of the hardwood will reduce that effect. Also, a higher grade underlay combined with the thicker engineered floors will reduce, or,  eliminate that hollow sound, and the feel under your feet will feel much like walking on a solid floor or on one that is attached to a sub floor.

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