We have a lower level that is on a slab and we floated Bruce engineered wood floors there. We really dislike them, especially since we have solid wood elsewhere in the home.

Our main complaint is that they are 'squishy'...you feel a slight bounce when you walk on them (actually, a significant bounce in some spots) and you can easily tell they are not solid. However, I believe that our slab was not properly prepared for the floating wood and that variations in our slab are a large part of the problem. Unfortunately, I listened to my sales person and installer (who said it would be fine) instead of researching ahead of time what problems might arise from floating the floor and how to avoid those problems.

Sound was the only issue that I was aware of prior to install and my supplier/installer recommended an upgraded pad to help with that. In the end, the heavier pad may be part of our problem, too.

But, the good news is that we could take it all up, level our slab and re-lay the area. I know what a headache that would be for us so I can't imagine what you are going through with the glue-down removal.

Sandy

In my opinion, floated wood floors are a cheap substitute for hardwood. I see no reason besides budget to do floated wood floors. They cannot be refinished, are noisy and more fragile.

busybeme i cannot believe what a dusty, awful job hardwood removal is. They have the laundry room and pantry left. My house is soooo dusty dirty and furniture and most of wood furniture is covered with plastic and that is gross. So far sound and feeling is the only downside I'm hearing. I'm surprised no one talks about this mess being a problem! Thanks for your imput. It helps.

bathelemy, budget had nothing to do with our decision to float the floor. Like maggie, our installation was on a slab so hardwood was not an option.

Sandy

IÂd sure like to hear from someone who did it RIGHT. Someone who has a level floor and used Sound Muffler (or equivalent). I donÂt have wood floors, but from the research I have done, if installed correctly, one should not be able to tell the difference.

BTW Â Many Engineered floors can be refinished, are more stable than solid, and more environmentally friendly as well. There are many reasons to choose engineered floors.

Most engineered floors can not be refinished. Some can not even be screened or need extensive hand work just to renew the surface finish. I can easily tell the difference between engineered and solid when I walk on them - they don't sound right and they are a little spongy.

Ask to have sleepers laid so a solid floor can be nailed to the sleepers instead of glued down. For a kitchen, a site finished floor is preferable to a pre-finished floor. The surface doesn't have nearly the nooks and crannies to hold onto -ah- food dust and fluids?

In my opinion, floated wood floors are a cheap substitute for hardwood.

imo, they are an expensive substitute for hardwood as you need to replace them when scratched up, any water issues and any floorplan change. You can't take new floorboard and thread them in because manufacturers quickly follow fashion.

We just had a floating floor installed in our kitchen/living/dining/entry area. Budget had nothing to do with it - we could have gotten hardwood installed cheaper. However we had about 700 square feet of tiled floor to contend with. The thought of all the hassle, noise and dust involved in taking up all that tile was the reason we went with engineered in the end. I wouldn't say it's noisey - it is spongey in a few spots. But it is gorgeous and everyone comments on how much they love it. It was a tradeoff that was worth it to us.

thanks for all the responses. I knew I would get reaction because I'm getting it in my own house. It is nice to hear I what others can tell you and take it all into consideration. So aside from the feeling of float versus solid that seems to be the only downside so far. A little different sound. That's all I've got. We have refinished hardwood in another house and that was kind of messy but nothing like this tear out business.

Maggie - Post this question over in Flooring. There are experts over there that can give you first hand experience.

Good luck. :-)

Jeri

thanks I will thought of that once but never switched over since I am on this all the time. House a mess I'm a mess only for a little though ! Thnx

This is an interesting thread as we are considering 'floating' engineered wood over slab in our new build.
We have UA engineered wood, glue down over slab, in our current home. We've been very happy with it.

Engineered wood is more stable and highly recommended for use over slab.

DH is considering 'floating' due to the difference in cost. We've been advised by various flooring stores to install the heavier underlayment, to reduce the slight hollow sound of 'floating' floors, although according to the salesperson, nowhere near as bad as laminate wood floors (a totally different product)!

We put down a Mannington oak floating floor in the family room in 2001. We used a good underlayment and have never had an issue with it being any noisier than the oak flooring in the rest of the house. It has a few spongy spots, but I equate that more with the DIY install than with the product. My sister has a professionally installed floating floor and I never noticed any spongy spots on her floor.