What is better, floating click floors or glued floors?

 

Good morning....and welcome to DesignTime. I am here at TriCity Furniture with Kathy Kilbourn and today we are talking about flooring....and whether it is better to have a floating click floor and a glued down floor!

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Kathy, do all hard surface floors have these options, of being click or glued?

• No, not all hard surface has the option, but some do. For instance, laminate flooring is pretty much a click floating system, where ceramic floors are muddled in.

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So, what is the advantage to having a click floor that is floating?

• The main benefit of this type of floor, is two fold.....one that it goes over pretty much any somewhat smooth floor without a lot of prep work, and second, it might be a little easier for the guy who wants to install it himself. He still needs a saw to cut pieces!)

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Ok, and what would be the advantage of a glued floor? 

• Here there are multiple advantages.....speaking about LVT, because the tiles are independent, they can be replaced easily if one is damaged. The glue is made special to release the tile when it is heated. Gluing also maintains a very stable floor, especially if there is high traffic or carts are used rolling across it. I will mention that you do need a smooth clean floor when gluing products down so that they stick good!

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So, if I was going to pick a new for my basement, which would you say would be the best product to use? 

• For a basement, I would highly recommend a product that is waterproof, due to dampness hat a basement can have. Some laminates are water resistant, but a lot are not! I would recommend an LVT, which is completely waterproof, and if you glue it down, it will maintain stability and if you were to get water in your basement, typically you just need to remove the water, and clean the floor! In most cases, it would not have to be taken up! That would be the biggest advantage! Any floating floor would have to be removed, the floor dried, and possibly the flooring could be reused if it was waterproof!

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Is there a lot of price difference in these floors? 

• Really, not a lot of difference if you are purchasing similar quality. There will always be a cheaper starter price product, but typically they would not be waterproof. Speaking about LVT, there are many quality styles and they would start about $2.00 sq ft....but remember you will need to purchase glue also! Best thing for you is to talk to someone who knows about flooring products and explain to them your situation, and they can help you fine the best product available for the use and durability you need!