What are the advantages and disadvantages of floating hardwood floor and a nailed down hardwood floor?

Advantages of a floating hardwood floor is that if you are putting it in the basement you can lay this on top of your cement floor. Also good for older homes if the floor is not perfectly level. It is less expensive than hardwood, and not difficult for the DIY to install. Disadvantage is that it does not last as long as 3/4'; nailed down hardwood. Be more careful of spills and scratches.





Advantages of a nailed down hardwood floor is that it is real wood, not laminate. Looks great. Adds value to your home. Lasts forever basically. It is more costly than laminate and installation is harder for the average DIY.





We have both, hardwood on the main level. Laminate on the lower level. We are happy with both because of the different uses and rooms that they are in.What are the advantages and disadvantages of floating hardwood floor and a nailed down hardwood floor?
This answer compares laminate to hardwood, not floating vs nail-down as the question asks.

Report Abuse

What are the advantages and disadvantages of floating hardwood floor and a nailed down hardwood floor?
the better floor is the hardwood at 3/4'; thick. the life is long, the stibility is there and it can be sanded.


the laminate is 5/16-3/8'; and is made up of lamanated veneers and can not be sanded, comes prefinished and does not have a long life nor does it/or is it considered in the apprication of a home when considering selling or appraising.


Its an easy fix, it floats and can be removed at any time for an application of another flooring product.


If you own the home, go for the gusto...there are places to get hdwd for 1.50 a ft and installation and finishing for $2.
The floating floor is easier to install and to maintain. also it much easier to change if you want a different floor or a different color. A regular hardwood floor is More expensive to buy,install and to maintain, but some prefer. I have had both and I personally prefer the floating floor. After 15-20 years most people want a change.
The only real advantage I see is ease of installation. The big disadvantage, as far as I'm concerned, is that it gives when you walk on it. It doesn't feel ';solid';. Personally I don't like it. It looks fine though.
I love hardwood, it's one of my favorite installs. It is more durable, will last longer, and is easy to refinish and change stain colors. ';Pergo'; or other floating laminants are just cheap and ususally more expensive. What u see is what you get, you can't resurface it. Plus, they are very suseptible to water damage. hardwood can go in the bathroom or kitchen. Do that with pergo and it's thru in three years. Hardwood adds more value to your home.
It's all about cost and ease of installation. We did the floating floor thing. Now after 8 years, the floor looks bubbling and wavy. Now we're doing the hardfloor for time and wear.
A floating hard wood floor is placed over a cushioning surface whereas a nailed down hard wood floor is not. The difference is in comfort. Feel the difference between carpet laid down directly onto a concrete floor versus a carpet laid down on a concrete floor with a thick cushion underlay? That will give you and ideal of the difference between the two hardwood floor types.
the floating floor might be easier to install, but the real hard wood is going to give you a better finished product. we used the laminate in some of the homes that i have built and we quickly found that it is just a cheap way to create the look of a hard wood floor. we no longer use it because it doesn't stay looking nice as long as real hard wood floor, any scraches are very hard to fix. and if it gets wet enought, the laminates come apart and you have to replace it. if you can afford it, go with the real stuff, you will be happier with it in the end
you can uninstall the floater and take it with.