A hardwood floor is a floating hardwood floor if the floor is not glued directly to the sub-floor, but the individual floor boards are glued together. The floor is held in place with its own weight instead of glue. Floating floors are ideal when your sub-floor is uneven or when you are installing over a pre-existing ceramic, vinyl or wood floor.

There are quite a few brands of hardwood flooring that can be installed as floating floors, two of which are Anderson Hardwood Floors and Bruce Hardwood Floors. Before purchasing your flooring materials, make sure to find out if your particular flooring is suitable to be installed as a floating floor.

Anderson flooring is well-known for its traditional and worn look, which is achieved by craftsmen who hand scrape the flooring to give it an unique appearance. This look is great for giving your home a vintage feeling or country appeal. Anderson has a variety of flooring options available, and some of their engineered flooring styles can be installed as floating flooring. Their engineered flooring is highly durable and enables them to create flooring from woods not typically suitable for solid wood flooring.

Bruce also offers engineered flooring that can be installed as floating floors. Their engineered hardwood comes pre-assembled and can be installed by the do-it-yourselfer. According to Bruce, the floating floor is the easiest type of hardwood floor to install.

Engineered hardwood is made of wood, but it consists of three to ten plies of wood which are glued together. Due to it’s construction, engineered hardwood can be more durable than solid hardwood and is less likely to shrink or expand with changes in weather and humidity. They can also be used below ground level, whereas solid hardwood should not be.

Is a floating floor for you? Installing a floor using the floating method is easier than the traditional method for installing hardwood, which often requires professional installers. If you decide a floating floor is for you, make sure your favorite flooring can be installed as a floating floor, and then follow the manufacturers instructions.