Floating flooring is a highly sought-after floor covering for the aesthetics and practicality it offers to its enthusiasts. Moreover, this type of flooring is distinguished by its ease of installation, which doesn’t require the use of any glue or nails. Nevertheless, to ensure you benefit from the various features of this type of flooring, there are a number of errors that should not be committed, both during the selection of the system and during its installation. These few lines cover this topic.
Opting for lower quality floating hardwood flooring
When choosing the flooring you will install in your interior, it is always advisable to prioritize high-quality products. This ensures that the future floor covering installed is aesthetic, durable, and resistant. Also, always make sure to choose a floating hardwood flooring model that is suitable for your intended use.
Buying floating hardwood flooring for an uneven floor
Flooring buyers should be aware that floating hardwood flooring is not the best alternative for use on an uneven floor. For the simple reason that this type of floor covering is more likely to warp in case of significant moisture. If the unevenness is 4 mm or less, an insulating underlay will serve to make up for the missing level.
Installing floating hardwood flooring in an unsuitable room
Floating hardwood flooring is generally easier to install compared to solid wood flooring. However, it has an increased level of fragility, which means it deserves special attention. The goal is to maintain its original appearance as long as possible. Thus, remember that floating flooring is a floor covering that should be installed in the living room or bedrooms, but very rarely in the kitchen or bathroom.
Forgetting to prepare the floor before installing floating flooring
Although considered a simple floor covering to install, the installation of floating hardwood flooring still requires a minimum of preparation. Before starting the installation work, it is indeed important that the floor of the room that will receive your floating flooring is dry, sound, clean, and flat.
Installing floating hardwood flooring without the underlay
For the installation of floating hardwood flooring, laying an insulating underlay before the actual installation is also of crucial importance. Its main purpose is to protect your flooring from moisture as well as all sound and thermal discomforts.
Arranging the planks parallel to the window
Depending on the configuration of your room, the arrangement of floating hardwood flooring planks will not be the same. However, you should know that the orientation of the planks is chosen according to the sources of natural light in the room in question. In this sense, you must avoid at all costs that the floating hardwood flooring planks are laid parallel to your main window.
Economizing on the quantity of planks needed for installation
For a successful installation of your floating flooring, it would be ideal to always increase your needs by about 10%. Acquiring flooring with a small margin will indeed expose you to some installation problems. If you have planks left over, you can use them for renovation to replace damaged planks.
Making a mistake on the installation technique of floating flooring
The step of installing floating flooring is more than crucial. To ensure you benefit from a high-quality and especially resistant floor, it is crucial to use the appropriate techniques. Note that the installation of this type of floor covering requires neither the use of staples, nails, nor glue. As its name suggests, floating hardwood flooring is a floor covering that is installed in a floating manner on joists previously installed on the floor to be treated.
Choosing to install your floating flooring yourself
Even though floating hardwood flooring is very simple to install, entrusting its installation to true specialists in the field is always the option to favor. It ensures you have less work to do while enjoying an aesthetic, durable, and practical floor in your home.
