I am looking into buying floating laminate hardwood floors. does floating mean that i can put them down over my existing hardwood floors?
To answer your question yes they are meant to go over any stable ,flat, and level surface. The only thing that is attached is any transition pcs ( the clip it part not the actual transition pc) from one flooring to another such as reducers, carpet bars and T moldings. Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar . I ve attended several installation classes as well as installed a few 100,000 s/f. GL
Couple of basic tips will go a long way. Order at least 10% more than the area you intend to floor. Before you start pick a direction to follow, and establish a pattern. You want to make sure you don't waste too much product, but break your seams up so they are not too close together as you proceed across the room. This is not always the longest wall. Keep in mind closets and doorways you will have to work with. Also what is the look you want, how do you want it to flow into other rooms. Undercut door jams before you begin. Pull off all old trim starting at one corner in the room write a number on the back of the trim and on the wall, so you will know which piece goes where. This is not always done, you can install new shoe (1/4 round) over the new floor and against the old trim instead. Remember than no room is square or any wall is straight. The best thing to do is snap a line down the middle of the room then measure over to the wall you want to start at and snap a line about one board width from the wall, but measure from the line you snapped. You may find that you will need to trim a portion of your first board to start with a straight line. Don't forget to leave between 1/4 and 1/2 inch spacing as per manufacturers instructions. Use pieces of scrap against the wood if you need to pound on something, never directly on the piece you are installing. Buy the threshold and termination strips that are made for your flooring product ahead of time. Take your time! Do not rush yourself or the job. It is better to live with your house torn up during the week until the next weekend than to try and rush the job. And of course the old carpenters golden rule - Measure twice - cut once.
Floating means that they are not nailed or screwed down. You can put them over your existing hardwood floors, but why would you want to? Consider re-finishing and repairing your hardwood floors. They are worth a lot more in a re-sale.
