Yes, floating floors will settle in time. Don't worry about it. If they don't, it means they haven't been laid out correctly, and you should re-do it.
Because the flooring isn't attached to the sub-floor, it can move slightly when walking over it. However this is often tiny movements, caused by the underlay compressing underfoot. A hollow or echoed sound can sometimes occur when walking over a floating floor.
Vinyl needs time to settle. We recommend waiting at least 24 hours before walking on your new floors.
One of the main reasons why floating floors like laminate may bounce is because of temperature and moisture issues. If there are water or roof leaks in the room where the laminate flooring was installed, make sure to solve it immediately before it causes more damage to the floors or the home.
A floating floor can have a slight bounce or give underfoot, but it should not feel excessively bouncy or unstable. A small amount of deflection is normal and can be caused by a number of factors, such as the type of subfloor, the thickness and quality of the underlayment, and the installation method.
What are the problems with floating floors? Floating floors can be susceptible to moisture and humidity, which can cause warping or buckling. They also tend to be more prone to gaps between planks due to their lack of attachment.
To acclimate your laminate flooring, place it where you want to install the flooring and let it settle for about 48 hours. Failure to acclimate laminate flooring will cause it to shrink and expand at unexpected rates after installation and solving this won't be easy.
Unlike traditional solid-wood strips, a floating floor isn't nailed down. Instead, the planks are either glued or snapped together. The planks go down fast, over virtually any material—concrete, plywood, sheet vinyl, even ceramic tile.
The feeling of bounce is caused by the flooring moving downward when weight is applied (stepped on). The flooring moves or bounces as it is not properly supported from underneath which puts added pressure on the flooring joints, in most cases causing them to separate, break or squeak.
A: Vinyl plank flooring will settle over time. However, to ensure that the vinyl floors fit perfectly, leave the planks on the floor to acclimate to humidity levels and room temperature.
If there's excess moisture within the subfloor or the concrete slab on which you're laying the flooring, the laminate may not lay as flat as you'd like. If it's more than 6-9% damp, you may need to use a dehumidifier or try to dry out the area before the floor can be laid.
This situation can be easily remedied. Simply follow the peaking board's perpendicular to the wall or molding, remove the necessary molding- if against the wall, remove the baseboard and cutout a section or enough of the laminate board that meets the wall or molding that will give the floor more space to expand.
Floating floors are not designed to hold the extra weight of cabinets, and over time they can damage the floor and cause more issues in the long run. Therefore, we recommend that you install the cabinets before the floating floor.
Buckling & Warping
Excessive moisture in the subfloor often causes the floor wood to buckle and warp. Even high humidity in the air can cause the same. For this reason, it is essential not to wet mop a floating floor. The primary key to this is prevention.
Expansion gap issue
If no gap was included, then there's nowhere for any expansion in the boards to go but up, causing the bouncing sensation when you walk on the floor. The good news is that this issue can be fixed by trimming away a narrow strip of laminate at the very edges of the floor to create an expansion gap.
If the floor feels springy and spongy when you walk, the subfloor might not be completely attached. Another reason for a soft floor could be from overextended joists; meaning the joists holding the house up are too long and not supported enough.
Vinyl is a soft material: One of its advantages is also its greatest weakness: its lightness. Heavy furniture can dent and mark vinyl floors, while sharp objects can pierce the upper layers. Discolouration: LVT flooring can suffer from sun damage if laid in conservatories or near south-facing doors/windows.
While luxury vinyl flooring has come a long way from its creation and has increased in durability and visual appeal, unfortunately vinyl may decrease your resale value in the long run. It's important to recognize that while you may spend less on vinyl vs. hardwood, the ROI may be less.
Floating floors are designed to freely move in the room as a whole and should never be glued down or nailed to the subfloor. Also, any permanent fixtures like cabinets, wood stoves, or fixed appliances should never be installed on top of and through a floating vinyl floor.