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What is a Laminate Floating Floor?
Whether you live in Boston, Framingham, or Norwell, Massachusetts or Somers or Fairfield, Connecticut, when you have decided that you are going to buy a laminate floor for your home, you are probably thinking about how you would install it. Actually, one of the ways to install your laminate floor is by floating it above the sub-floor. You are probably wondering how a floor floats, but actually, the term "laminate floating floor" is, in a way, a misnomer. A laminate floating floor does not literally float, but in some way, it does. Are you confused yet? Read on!
A laminate floating floor is a laminate floor that does not touch, nor is it attached in any way to the sub-floor below. As it does not touch the sub-floor, a laminate floating floor presents a host of opportunities and advantages.
Since laminate floating floors are totally separated from the sub-floor, the sub-floor moves completely different from the laminate floor above. The floor beneath will move differently with changes in humidity which will cause it to expand and contract. Laminate floors, if you did not know yet, are relatively unharmed by changes in humidity, so the floor beneath can expand and contract all it wants, leaving our precious laminate floor above unscathed. The floors should also be laid with a gap between them and the walls to allow for these movements.
Most commonly, a protective layer, referred to as underlayment, is laid between the sub-floor and the laminate floor. Usually, with a floating floor, you would glue the planks together, instead of gluing directly to the sub-floor.
A laminate floating floor can be installed almost anywhere. In fact, it can be installed directly over existing flooring, including tiles and hardwood. A laminate floating floor can even be installed over soil, given a proper moisture barrier. This is precisely the reason why laminate floating floors are valued, since a host of options are available even for rooms that have concrete slabs, are below ground level, or are known to produce a lot of moisture.
It is important to note that the underlayment is crucial. Even if the laminate floating floor does not touch the surface beneath it, moisture will rise up and cause damage anyway. The damage may be minimal at first due to a laminate floor's resistance to moisture. However, after an extended period of time, effects will show up in the forms of cupping and buckling. Installing underlayment designed to resist moisture between the two layers may cost a little extra money, but it is definitely a small price to pay for extending the life of your laminate floating floor.
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