What Is A Floating Floor And Where Can You Put Them In Your Home?

You may have been taken aback the first time you heard the term "floating floor." The name conjures images of unstable floors that move with each footfall, or perhaps the squishy rubber flooring found in playgrounds. In reality, floating floors are an extremely versatile, popular, and remarkably stable flooring option that you've probably walked on numerous times before and not even known it. You may even be standing on a floating floor right now.

In an exclusive interview with Hunker, Footprints Floors Nashville owner Josh Byrd clarified how this unique flooring type really works. "These floors have a click-lock system on the edges of each plank that allows it to float and hold together," Byrd explained. Essentially, floating floors don't need to be glued or nailed to the subfloor beneath, but "float" on top. The panels or tiles feature an interlocking system that holds them firmly in place. A thin foam underlayment is placed between the subfloor and floating floor to absorb sound and add further stability. 

Floating floors are a great alternative to solid hardwood or ceramic tile if you have a tight budget, or if you prefer to DIY your flooring installation. They can even be installed on top of most existing floors, removing the expense and expertise that comes with demo. However, while there's a lot to admire about floating floors, they don't work for all situations. As Byrd explained, "Putting a significant amount of weight in a small concentrated area directly on top of these joints will cause damage and eventually floor failure."

Types of floating floors include luxury vinyl planks (LVP), luxury vinyl tiles (LVT), laminate, linoleum, cork, bamboo, and some engineered hardwoods. Because of its versatility, you can install a type of floating floor in any room of your home. However, you do need to be choosy about which one you go with.

Floating floors are installed with a gap around the walls to allow expansion and contraction without buckling (this gap is hidden with shoe molding). This makes many the vinyl planks, vinyl tiles, and laminate floating floor options a safe option for wet areas like bathrooms. But during Hunker's exclusive interview with Josh Byrd, owner of Footprints Floors Nashville, he said to steer clear of using bamboo or engineered wood floors that float (it has a real-wood top layer) in humid environments. "Not all floating floors are waterproof," he added. "Or even water resistant." 

Although floating flooring is versatile, it is not a great choice for every customer. Josh Byrd does not recommend floating floors for clients with wheelchairs. Also, while you technically can place heavy furniture and appliances like a refrigerator on a floating floor, it needs to be done so carefully. Furniture should only be moved on floating floors using a dolly, and furniture pads should be placed underneath. If you have a room with massive furniture that is particularly heavy, you'd be safer opting for a glue-down vs. floating flooring.