What is a Floating Floor?

A floating floor is any floor that does not need or cannot be nailed or glued down to the subfloor. In most cases, the floating installation method refers to engineered, laminate, or rigid click flooring installed over an underlay. The underlay, along with the locking system of the boards, keeps the floor stable and in place.

• It is quick and easy to install as the boards simply click or tap together over an underlay, making it perfect for DIY projects by homeowners.
• The underlay can be laid directly over concrete, giving it an advantage over nailed boards.Underlays also offer excellent heat and sound insulation, as well as protection from residual moisture for your floor. This is ideal for keeping your home cozy and footsteps quiet, which can be challenging with glue-down flooring. If you are installing a floating floor over underfloor heating, there are specifically designed underlays with low thermal resistance available, allowing the heat to pass through.

There are several advantages to a floating floor

■      It is quick and easy to install as the boards simply click or tap together over an underlay, making it perfect for DIY projects by homeowners.

■      The underlay can be laid directly over concrete, giving it an advantage over nailed boards. Underlays also offer excellent heat and sound insulation, as well as protection from residual moisture for your floor. This is ideal for keeping your home cosy and footsteps quiet, which can be challenging with glue-down flooring. If you are installing a floating floor over underfloor heating, there are specifically designed underlays with low thermal resistance available, allowing the heat to pass through.

While a floating floor system is convenient and versatile, it is not always the best choice for every type of flooring. For non-rigid click luxury vinyl tile, parquet floors, and solid wood flooring, it is necessary to fully bond the flooring to the subfloor.

Therefore, if you are looking for a simple installation method that you can do without professional help, a floating floor system is likely the best option for you.

As floating flooring is simply flooring that does not need to be nailed or glued down, any flooring that can click together can be installed as part of a flooring system.

Laminates

Laminate is a suitable option for floating flooring and, in fact, it is the primary method of installation for this kind of flooring. As it is lightweight but also highly durable, it makes for easy laying and straightforward maintenance.

A popular laminate option available here at Wood Floor Warehouse is Swiss Krono Zermatt Oak, which features an easy 5G click installation system, making it easy for DIYers to work with.

Rigid click LVT

A similar idea to laminate but with a bit more water resistance, LVT is a great option for floating flooring and often comes with an underlay built in.

An example of this would be one of our best-sellers, the Regent Avant Oak Parquet LVT, which has a Class 33 rating and is ready for commercial spaces, so it's plenty suitable for a busy family home.

Engineered

It's important to note that not all engineered wood flooring can be used for a floating floor, as traditional engineered flooring is typically glued down.

If you're shopping for engineered wood flooring as part of a floating floor project, be sure to filter to products that have click installation.

An example of that would be Gio Click Invisible Oak, although as a note, you'll still need glue as the planks click together lengthwise and float, but you need to apply glue to the short ends before clicking them together.

• Solid wood
• Parquet
• Non-rigid click LVT

When choosing your underlay for your floating floor, there are several factors to consider:

• Concrete or Wood Ground Floor Substrate: If you are going to float your flooring on top of concrete or a wood ground floor substrate, we would always recommend that you use an underlay that has a built-in vapour barrier. This is not to be mistaken with a DPM (damp proof membrane). This vapour barrier will protect against residual moisture rising from the ground below. Products like Timbertech 3mm and 2mm, along with the Comfort green range, are perfect for this.
• Upstairs Installations: If you are going to float your flooring in an upstairs location, we would recommend an underlay with excellent sound-deadening qualities, such as the fibreboard.
• Underfloor Heating: Finally, if you are considering installing your flooring over underfloor heating, we would recommend using a low tog underlay such as the Trojan Traffic XL. This will allow maximum efficiency for the transfer of the heat to your flooring.

If you're looking for a do-it-all underlay for floating flooring, our foam underlay in white is a consistently popular option with shoppers, offering excellent soundproofing and insulation.

How to Install a Floating Floor

Floating floors can be installed by keen DIYers, as it's a straightforward task at its core: you measure up and buy accordingly, cut where needed, put down underlay, click your flooring boards together, and that's it, really.

However, things can quickly become more complex than installation guides might suggest if you have a non-standard room shape, say with a bay window or a fireplace.

Measuring and cutting boards isn't rocket science, but you do have to get it right the first time. To make your life easier, we'd recommend starting with a fairly standard square room.

Here are the key steps in a bit more detail:

• Step 1: Subfloor prep - You want a flat subfloor; a bumpy or uneven underfloor will not be fixed, even with a thick underlay. You may need to lay another layer of subfloor (you'll probably want professional help for this.
• Step 2: Measuring twice - Measure twice and make sure you know exactly how many boards you need (psst, we have a tool that does this for you… It's at the top of every category page). From there, you will likely need to cut some boards. You'll need a jigsaw or a circular saw for this, and be sure to measure, mark, and measure again before you cut any board to make sure there isn't much going to waste. Once cut, set it where it will be going to make sure it slots in nicely to avoid on-the-go cutting, as that's where mistakes will be made.
• Step 3: Laying the underlay - Make sure the subfloor you're going to buy is intended for floating flooring, and lay it down nice and flat.
• Step 4: laying your flooring boards - When laying your flooring boards (and when cutting them), you need to make sure that there is a little bit of space for expansion, as your flooring can expand as the weather changes, and if you leave no space, it could make your flooring bumpy. Then it's just a case of angling your flooring boards, click long edge, and pressing down the short edge one board at a time until they are all in place. For beginners, it's best to start from the corners - ideally on the longest side of the room.

Once the job is done, the house will no doubt need a good hoover. Oh, and make sure, if you're going for a thicker floor than before, that your doors still open and close properly; otherwise, they might need to be trimmed.

When you need to bring in a professional: If you have a very non-standard room which will need a good amount of cutting, plan to do multiple rooms (i.e., a living room and a hallway), or if you want a floating floor and are using floor boards that can be floated but needs glue applied to the ends before clicking them together, as puts you in a bit of a race against the clock.

• Easy install
• Quicker to install
• Noise reduction
• Heat insulation
• Easy to remove
• Easily repaired

• Can sound hollow
• Susceptible to more expansion and contraction
• Limited refinishing
• Slight compression movement might be felt

Subfloor Flatness!

Underlay will not make an uneven subfloor flat, no matter how thick it is. If you have a discrepancy of more than 3mm in the flat surface of your subfloor, you will need to complete remedial works to ensure your subfloor is flat enough to take the floor covering. Failure to do this will lead to greater compressive vertical movement of the flooring underfoot, giving you the feeling that it is moving or bouncing. If completed correctly, you should not be able to tell the difference between a floor glued to the subfloor and a floating floor.

FAQs About Floating Flooring

How to fix floating floor from popping up

This is likely caused by not enough space for expansion between boards. Remove the board, check for obstructions that may prevent expansion, and trim edges as needed to ensure a proper 10mm expansion gap.

How to replace a board in a floating floor

Disassemble the flooring starting at the nearest wall to the damaged plank, remove and replace the damaged plank, and reassemble from there.

What is a floating floor system?

It is another term for floating flooring, encompassing the flooring boards and the underlay.

Can you put floating wood floor over tile?

Yes, if the tile is level, clean, and intact, you can add underlay and then a floating floor. You may need to fill large grout lines or lippage before installing.

How to fix floating floor gaps

This would be the same process as fixing broken floorboards: Disassemble the affected section, reassemble the board to ensure tight clicks. To make sure it doesn't happen again, you should check the room humidity as gaps often appear when the air is too dry.

How to insulate a floating floor

You do this before laying the floor, by installing acoustic or thermal underlayment beneath flooring. Ideally, you would want thicker underlayment, from about 3-6mm.

How to finish a floating floor at the doorway

Unless you have laid a floating floor before, this is the kind of job that you might want some help from a joiner for. You will need to use transition strips, which allow for T-moulding between same-height floors, reducers for height changes, and thresholds at exterior doors.

Why does my floating floor creak?

This is usually caused by an uneven subfloor, debris underneath the flooring or subfloor, insufficient underlay, or planks rubbing against walls without proper expansion gaps.

What keeps a floating floor from moving?

Its own weight, friction from underlayment, and interlocking click systems. You can also use perimeter skirting that hides expansion gaps while allowing natural movement with temperature changes.