Floating hardwood flooring is the easiest way to install this type of flooring. It does not actually adhere to the subflooring but floats above it. Most do-it-yourselfers will choose this method when installing hardwood floors. Floating hardwood flooring has several layers that are glued together. These inner cores are normally a mixture of hardwood and softwood material.

As can be seen in many old houses, wood floors can be beautiful but in time the wood can warp, crack and separate. Floating hardwood flooring reduces most of that. Floating hardwood can be applied on any grade type as long as it is level. It withstands the humidity and contracting and expanding better than other types of flooring. New floating hardwood flooring does not need all of the extensive attention that conventional wood flooring did/does. When deciding on floating hardwood flooring you can install using true floating methods or other flooring methods. True floating hardwood flooring never directly attaches to any subflooring where the other methods do.

As with any other type of flooring you can find floating hardwood flooring is a variety of colors. The coloring of the flooring is a purely personal choice although lighter colored wood makes a room appear bigger and also goes better with light or dark furniture. Having a dark floor and dark furniture does not generally look optimal.

There are different grades of floating hardwood flooring. Manufacturers make second and third grades which give more color to the flooring in the effect. It has some lighter and some darker wood throughout which can give your flooring a certain character. Some also have small pinholes or even knots. You can buy prefinished or unfinished flooring. Prefinished saves you the time of having to sand and treat the flooring.

When installing the floating hardwood keep in mind that you will have to adjust placement of your flooring to allow for expansion and contraction in winter and summer months as well as humidity. Regardless, your flooring should not be exposed to more than 50% humidity. With proper installation, floating hardwood floors can last from 40-80 years.

The prices for the flooring are in the area of $3-$10 per square foot depending on which type of flooring you choose. You can also buy installation kits for a couple hundred dollars that make your job a lot easier. There are also different sizes of the planks you can buy, some longer than others. You can also find planks that have adhesive on the sides which makes the job a lot quicker. If you plan to do it yourself, plan a pre-buying trip to a home supply store to see what is available in the area of kits and materials to make your job easier without compromising the beauty of the finished product.

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