Floating
Installing flooring so it rests on the substrate without being fastened or bonded to it — correct over radiant heat, or where acoustic separation is required.
A floating floor is mechanically independent of what it sits on, which is what allows it to move with a thermal cycle rather than fight it.
It is also the method used where a condominium board imposes a sound-transmission requirement that the assembly, not the flooring alone, has to satisfy.
Related
Terms this one depends on
- Radiant heatAn in-floor heating assembly that imposes a thermal cycle on the flooring above it, in addition to the seasonal humidity cycle.
- Engineered hardwoodFlooring that pairs a real hardwood wear layer with a 90° cross-ply core, which is what gives it dimensional stability over concrete, in condominiums and above radiant heat.
- Glue-downBonding flooring directly to the substrate with adhesive — correct for engineered flooring over concrete, and in condominiums.
- Nail-downFastening flooring mechanically to a wood subfloor — correct for solid hardwood over plywood.
Provenance
Where this definition comes from
Framework pillars this term is material to
If you are dealing with this on a real floor: floor restoration, or get a fixed written price after a measure.
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