The comfort and warmth that wood gives in a home or business is not offered by other types of materials. If we add to this a search for the resistance and economic maintenance of a material on a floor, these are the main reasons why the installation of floating pallets have become one of the most demanded solutions in interior pavements.
Find out everything you need about the floating platform, from the prices of each type of pallet to how to classify them according to their resistance.
What is floating flooring?
Before proceeding to the definition of the floating flooring, it is convenient to define the different types of floors that use wood as part of its components.
The parquet is a wooden floor, the top layer of which is 2.5 cm. It can be solid or multilayer and is fully adhered to the ground by gluing.
The laminate floor is formed by several layers of different materials, having in its outer layer an imitation of wood hardly comparable to the naked eye. For its installation it is not necessary to glue, it is done through a click, and that is why it is called with the floating term.
The floating flooring is the mixture of the two previous floors. It is a pavement composed of pieces of wood that are installed by a click, forming a continuous pavement. The floating flooring has the best advantages of the floors described above: it maintains the quality of the material as it is composed of wood, and its installation is very simple, with a simple click it is placed.
Types of floating flooring according to the material
3 different types of floating pallets can be found on the market.
– Synthetic or laminated flooring
Laminated or synthetic pallets are panels that are made of materials derived from wood, imitating it with great realism. It is the most economical type of floating flooring on the market and its main feature is its high resistance to wear.
The synthetic materials with which they are manufactured have a high resistance against moisture, scratches or impacts. Its base is composed of a high density fiber slat, a layer of melanin, which is what imitates the appearance of wood, and a coating formed by a transparent film responsible for giving protection to the whole.
– Multilayer pallets
In this case, the floating flooring is formed by several layers, where the lower ones are based on low-quality woods (such as pine), while its surface is made with a noble wood.
This type of flooring achieves finishes very similar to parquet, even improving some of its properties such as dimensional stability. This occurs thanks to the arrangement of perpendicular veins in successive layers, thus reducing possible deformations due to temperature or humidity effects.
In this way, a visual effect very similar to parquet is achieved, significantly improving its behavior. Its maintenance, conservation and treatment is carried out through stabbing (varnishing and sanding).
– Solid flooring
It is the most expensive type of flooring on the market because it is made of noble wood. Its treatment is based on stabbing, like multilayer platform.
It is the right product for wood lovers who prefer the elegance and comfort offered by high quality woods.
Types of floating flooring according to their resistance
To establish the different resistances of a platform, the AC classification is used. And it is done by the Taber test, which consists of an abrasion test measured by a machine when performing a series of rubbing with a roller to which sandpaper is put. Depending on the turns necessary to wear the surface layer, we proceed to establish its classification.
This strength is measured on laminated pallets and is classified according to EN 13329 as follows:
- AC1: more than 900 laps.
- AC2: more than 1800 laps.
- AC3: more than 2500 laps.
- AC4: more than 4000 laps.
- AC5: more than 6500 laps.
- AC6: more than 8500 laps.
Next to the AC classification, manufacturers enter 2 digits to establish the hardness of pallets for commercial purposes. The first digit is for class and the second for quality. Based on this, the following recommendations for use are established:
Residential:
- AC1 (21): Low traffic rooms, such as dormitories.
- AC2 (22): moderate traffic with low wear and tear such as canteens.
- AC3 (23/31): lounges or corridors.
Commercial:
- AC4 (32): rooms with normal traffic such as cafes, offices, fashion stores, lounges or residential spaces.
- AC5 (33): busy areas with heavy traffic such as shops, shopping malls, exhibition halls, schools and restaurants.
- AC6 (34): areas with very heavy traffic such as airport terminals, supermarkets or government buildings.
Prices of the different types of flooring
Like any construction work, to determine what it costs to put a floating platform, it will be necessary to add the costs of acquiring materials and add the cost of labor and auxiliary materials necessary for its installation.
The price of the material will be conditioned by the type of platform to be installed and the resistance of the material. In general, the following prices per square meter can be established:
- Synthetic flooring: between 6 and 30 euros.
- Multilayer flooring: between 15 and 40 euros.
- Solid flooring: between 35 and 60 euros.
- AC3: between 4 and 7 euros.
- AC4: between 10 and 20 euros.
- AC5: between 15 and 30 euros.
The price of skirting boards can be estimated between 3 and 15 euros per linear meter.
With regard to labor, it can cost between 5 and 15 euros per square meter.
For people who want to make their own installation must have a minimum of tools. The cost of the most used for the placement of a pallet are:
- Wedge placement kit: from 10 euros.
- Anti-humidity layer: from 30 euros.
- Wooden wedges: from 5 euros.
- Transition profiles: from 7 euros.
- Insulating base: from 15 euros.
Floating platforms have become a trend in the placement of interior pavements. And it is normal, its ease of installation, its great resistance and low maintenance, together with a very competitive price, make it one of the most demanded solutions in installation in homes and commercial buildings.