Glued-down or floating hardwood floor?

[Walter R.]

I replaced the carpet in my halls with Bruce engineered hardwood flooring. I glued the 3" strips down directly over the concrete pad. It looks great (5 Years) but was quite a bit of work due to the gluing.

Now I would like to put the same flooring in my living room: 22' x 27', also over the concrete pad.

Are "floating" hardwood floors less labor intensive? Do they look as good as "glued down" flooring?I am asking because I once walked over a floating pergo floor and almost got seasick: It gave you that "floating" feeling with every step.

Any input appreciated.

[CJT]

I can't detect the "floating" of my floating floor, which makes me wonder whether the one you had that experience with was properly installed, and whether you are unusually sensitive or suggestible.

[Walter R.]

I doubt that I am overly sensitive. My wife had the same reaction. The floating floor was obviously a DIY installation. It may have involved an overly thick foam pad. What is the correct thickness of the foam pad for an engineered floor installation, and is a pad really needed?

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Use the pad/vapor barrier recommended by the manufacturer. I used Mannington so I can't speak for other brands. I have one spot that is a bit "soft", but I take responsibility for it as I did the installation. The rest of the 450 sq. ft. is solid and has no bounce at all. You must allow space on the perimeter for the floor to expand and contract too, or it will buckle and could feel soft.

IMO, Pergo and Bruce are not the best brands.

[Sacramento Dave]

With any floor over a slab any low spots should be leveled. I would think even with a floating floor if you have low spot it would be magnified. Your floating floor is on a 1/8" foam pad so if you have a 1/4" low spot in a short span I can see why they would call it a floating floor. I've installed both solid and floating, I prefer the solid I like the feel of it . Time wise the floating floor went in much faster and easier. In a big room like your talking about there is a lot less cutting, you can lay more full length, work a bigger area at a time ( I 4 rows of 3" at a time) 22' X

27' certainly wont be tripping over everything. I would go with the glue down.

[shawn]

I put down some engineered on a slab floating about 5 years ago. They do have a hallow sound and heels,etc are loud. pergo type stuff is pretty thin, i used 1/2 enginereed as opposed to thinner planks. I would have preferred to glue, but my main concern was in florida humidity and the glue eventually coming up since the house gets hot in the summer when we've got the house open using the pool, then cool at night when we close up and turn on the ac.

- shawn