Floating Floorboards Yes or No?

[kabarine]

We are looking at replacing the old worn carpet in the sun/family room    .... Options are floating floor boards or genuine timber flooring, so would welcome any suggestions, for and against each type or flooring pls

[this-one-time-at-bandcamp]

If the floor in the family room will accept at least 1/2" flooring, you might consider hardwood flooring.  We used laminate (floating) in our bathroom and hallway because no decent hardwood was available in 8mm height.

It appears the current choices have bevelled edges (I'm told that they prevent damage to the edges), and I detest the bevels..........just another food, dander, and dirt trap.

[jean2579]

---

@kabarine wrote:

We are looking at replacing the old worn carpet in the sun/family room    .... Options are floating floor boards or genuine timber flooring, so would welcome any suggestions, for and against each type or flooring pls

---

kabarine, we are going through the same exercise. Genuine timber is much better but so expensive, bamboo is a very beautiful alternative, still a little expensive but less so than timber. Floating boards are usually a type of vinyl and the ones we have walked on at the showroom seemed very noisy but much cheaper. I have also been warned about cleaning the floating ones with a steam mop or spilling water on them. It will be interesting to know your final choice. Good luck.

[joz*garage]

what's under the carpet?

[this-one-time-at-bandcamp]

Actually, all of the current choices, hardwood, bamboo, and laminates are subject to damage from water...........

[simone4010]

Hi kabarine

We have just replaced our bedroom carpet with "floating timber floor".  I absolutely love the look.  One thing we did find however, is that your concrete base has to be perfectly level or you may have some movement.  We chose not to go with the extra $500 cost to make our base perfectly level.  The floor is laid with a 10ml gap all the way around (to allow for movement) which I believe they fill with something at an extra cost.  As we were replacing our skirting board, that wasn't an issue.  We just laid the skirting over the top so as not to see the gap.  We also had to add beading at the bottom of the skirting as we could still see a gap due to some floor uneveness.   I absolutely love it.  It is more durable than real timber and apparently won't scratch as easy.

To give you some idea:

[polksaladallie]

I would not recommend bamboo.  It is very soft and marks/dents/scratches very easily. 

[kabarine]

Jean I have been told the same thing re water and floating floors. Personally I would prefer a genunie timber floor. Yes! they are expensive, so I have been looking ar buying 2nd hand Baltic pine etc. The capet has a masonite under it and we dont really want to remve it as we intend to do this ourselves and it create so much more work, so I was looking at a floating floor as an option.

[simone4010]

Our is an 8ml laminate not vinyl. 

Band - companies here will not lay laminate flooring in what are considered wet areas ie bathroom, toilet and laundry.  They will lay it in the kitchen though.

[joz*garage]

what's under the masonite?