WHAT IS A FLOATING FLOOR?

A ‘floating floor’ refers to a flooring installation method where the floorboards are not nailed or glued to the subfloor. Instead, the floorboards ‘float’ above the subfloor, held together by a locking mechanism such as the tongue and groove method, or adhesive on the edges of the boards.

Example of the tongue and groove locking mechanism, the most common method to fix floating floors in place.

There are three main types of floating floors:

Laminate Flooring: Made of a high-density fibre board core with a photographic image of wood or stone on top, covered by a protective layer. It's durable, affordable, and easy to install.

Engineered Wood Flooring: Consists of a thin layer of real hardwood on top of a plywood or high-density fibreboard core. It gives the look of hardwood with more stability and is often more moisture resistant.

Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP): Resembles wood or stone, made from multiple layers of PVC vinyl. It's waterproof, durable, and softer underfoot than laminate or wood, making it a popular choice for kitchens and bathrooms.

These types of floating floors are commonly used in residential and commercial settings due to their ease of installation and versatility.

The majority of strata insurers do not automatically include floating floors as part of their standard policy, they must be selected as an optional extra with the majority of strata insurers – some strata insurers will not include floating floors at all.

We always recommend floating floor cover and where a strata insurer will not include this cover, it is recommended to include this cover with your personal content’s insurer.

Items such as personal carpets and rugs are not covered under the strata policy, they must also be included under your personal contents insurance policy.