We have a huge basement that we have bamboo flooring to lay down on. The question is...I heard that floating the floor will actually devalue the house because it is a cheap way to do the floors. Is this true and we have a cement slab to install the flooring on...how would you do it?
2007-02-02 23:58:13 · 7 answers · asked by violamom74 5 in Home & Garden ➔ Decorating & Remodeling
According to my husband, floating the floor means not attaching it to the cement floor, just attaching it to the other slabs and letting it basically sit on the concrete floor that is there...I think...
2007-02-03 00:18:53 · update #1
floating floors are great, the only problem I have noticed is when you walk on them with hard healed shoes they tend to sound hollow. ( I did three rooms at our church).
I noticed at Lowes that they now have cork to go under the flooring instead of the foam stuff. Although the cork is more expensive, I would think it would take care of the hollow sound. Other than the sound, they look great and are holding up really well (we put the in them nurseries and put down area rugs for the babies to play on.
2007-02-03 00:37:36 · answer #1 · answered by Les c 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Floating floor is a good solution for a slab basement. Be sure you get the sealed pad to go under it and it will feel great to walk on. I have a floating floor in my basement too. I think it's much nicer than tile, linoleum or carpet on top of a slab.
The issues you may hit.
The concrete slab may not be level across it's surface, try getting a long (12 foot or more) level and see where the dips/humps are in the slab. If it's really bad you can get a self leveling concrete product at HD/Lowes that you can pour on top of the slab. The dips in slab will cause the floor to feel like it's giving away under you when step there.
If your basement floods the floating floor (or any floor for that matter) will be toast. It will still look okay, but all the seems will be obvious. We had a 100 year rain storm and we got water that came up through the slab, ended up with ~4" in the basement. Arghh. Make sure you have a good working drainage for your foundation before investing big $ on the inside of the basement.
2007-02-03 00:18:32 · answer #2 · answered by Fester Frump 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The floating floor, as it is called, a an unsecured floor that floats on a material similar to bubble wrap. One respondent mentioned cork, and that has been used too.
All floating floors are laminate material, and you do not want to put them any where near moisture. Even in the kitchen causes problems. They cannot take a puddle sitting on them. They are usually made out of chip board or particle board, which is essentially saw dust.
Floating floors work okay in dinning and living rooms if an entry way doesn't open to them where water can be tracked in.
My advise would be to NOT put them in a basement if you are in a moisture prone area of the country. If you are in say a desert region, you could get away with it.
They don't lower the value of the house, unless you house is a grade A, high quality one, then it looks cheap.
If you have a relatively good slab, why not put down ceramic tile? It is durable, water resistant, you can do it yourself, and for warmth, you can throw down some area rugs. Just use a dark grout on a floor as the dirt will turn a lighter grout Grey.
Good Luck
2007-02-03 01:32:30 · answer #3 · answered by A_Kansan 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A floating floor like Pergo does not devalue a house. If its' better than what is there now, Its an improvement.
I have never seen a laminate floor in a bamboo pattern. If you have solid bamboo flooring then these are not meant to be a floating floor.
I have never put these on concrete so I don't know how to do it.
I also don't think it should be done at all. But I'm not a flooring guy so maybe there is a trick to this I don't know. Concrete has moisture in it almost all the time. Wood that will be in constant contact with concrete needs to be treated lumber by the building codes. Maybe there is a good way to do this but you definitely need someone who knows what to do in this instance. There are a few critical items that could really screw up your floor if not handled correctly.
2007-02-03 00:14:13 · answer #4 · answered by speedgeek 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I thought a floating floor was a good way to do a basement and means the floor is slightly elevated off the slab. This way heating or cooling and electronic cabling , and wiring for outlets. (computers esp)can be run under the floor rather than through concrete walls. It is a platform system that can be covered with a number of materials. compartment doors allow access to cabling. If they are calling pergo type flooring floating flooring now...I do not see how having a basement with finished surfaces is a bad thing.
2007-02-03 00:12:23 · answer #5 · answered by CAE 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Floating floor is the only way to go. The concrete is relatively cold, and the air temp in the room will be relatively warm. You will need to allow for expansion and contraction to keep the floor from buckling, getting wavy.
Special techniques have to be used when putting wood over concrete as a more permanent installation. And you run the risk of cracking the concrete (allowing moisture to seep in) if you use any kind of fasteners on the concrete.
If the floor looks good, no one will ask if it is floating or nailed down.
2007-02-03 00:05:53 · answer #6 · answered by regerugged 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure... What do YOU mean by floating the floor?. Normally this means leveling with pore stone or other sub-straight. Once the floor is level any covering you put on will add value, but first the floor Must be level........GOOD LUCK
2007-02-03 00:09:44 · answer #7 · answered by Ronnie J 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋