Laying floating parquet: what you need to know - Côté Maison
Laminate flooring is quick and easy to install. It is the ideal laying system for novice do-it-yourselfers who want to install a warm floor in their interior. Our advice for choosing and laying it.
Of the three existing types of laying (nailed laying, glued laying, floating laying), the floating laying of parquet is the most recent, but also the most widespread today. today.
Floating parquet: an easy, quick and inexpensive installation
- The easiest installation: it does not require any particular know-how and you can do it yourself, even if the 'we are a beginner handyman. Moreover, very few tools are enough: a hammer, a tapping block and a saw.
- The fastest installation: just clip the boards together. This avoids the nailing time (nailed installation) or that of the drying of the glue (glued installation). One afternoon is enough to cover a room of 10m2.
- The cheapest installation: you can make substantial savings, because there is no need to call in a professional, and therefore to pay installation costs.
The floating parquet installation system
Parquet is called "floating" because it is not fixed directly to the ground. It is its mass that gives it its stability. The slats are clipped together using a system of male/female grooves. Simply clip the slats together, alternating the decorations from one row to another.
When it comes to decor, manufacturers compete in creativity. Some floors imitate stone (slate, porcelain stoneware...), others species of precious wood.
The different types of floating parquet
Laying floating parquet is suitable for all three types of existing parquet (solid, engineered and laminate).
- Solid laminate flooring is 100% wood. It is the strongest floating floor, but also the most expensive. It has the advantage of being able to be repaired.
- Laminate flooring does not contain wood, but composite materials that imitate it. It is the most economical floating floor, but also the most fragile. We can't fix it.
- The engineered floating floor is a compromise between the two previous floors. It comprises three superimposed layers, of which only the upper layer is of noble essence. Its lifespan is much longer than that of laminate flooring, but it is more expensive. It can be sanded down to renovate it.
How to lay a floating floor?
- Store the floor at least 48 hours in advance in the room, which must be perfectly healthy: 3% humidity maximum.
- Check the flatness of the floor. If necessary, patch it up.
- Lay a resilient underlay, to add sound insulation (by reducing footsteps) and/or thermal insulation (by preventing rising damp).
- Lay the floorboards starting at the straightest corner and in the direction of the light, i.e. perpendicular to the windows. Place a wedge of 8 mm between the wall and the parquet, then every 50 cm, because the parquet expands.
- Fit the floorboards into each other thanks to their grooves (long notches) and tongues (protruding profiles). At the end of the row, measure the remaining length and saw off the last plank accordingly. Alternate the plank joints from row to row to create your floor decor.
- Finish with the skirting boards to be glued or nailed along the walls. The baseboards will hide the expansion joint left by the wedges.
