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Went back and forth on floating vs glue down LVP for a $4,200 job in a basement last month and I'm still not sure I picked right
Floating was way faster to install but I swear I can hear a tiny bit of movement near the floor drain and now I'm wondering if glue down would've been more solid, has anyone regretted going one way over the other after a few months?
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tara7455mo ago
oh man my buddy just went through this exact same thing and he's still salty about it months later. he did floating in his basement too and kept complaining about this weird hollow echo every time he walked near the utility sink. turns out the concrete underneath had a tiny dip he couldn't see and the locking system eventually gave a little. now he's got this little ridge that catches your toe sometimes. he told me he wishes he just paid the extra for glue down and got it over with. i guess floating is fine if your subfloor is literally perfect but basements are tricky with moisture and temp changes. he's looking into tacking down the loose spots now which just sounds like a headache.
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vera_lewis5mo ago
My buddy did floating LVP in his basement 2 years ago and it's still perfect, no issues at all. He used a 6mil vapor barrier and checked his floor level with a 6 foot straightedge before starting. People blame the product when it's usually the prep work that's the problem. @tara745, your friend's issue sounds like he didn't level that dip out before laying the planks. A bag of self leveler is like $40 and saves so much hassle. Floating floors are actually better for basements because they let the concrete breathe and expand with temp changes. Glue down can trap moisture underneath and cause mold or adhesive failure over time.
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veramiller4mo ago
My brother did floating in his garage over a concrete slab and had the exact same hollow sound issue near the drain. He ended up pulling up three rows to fix the dip and swore the whole time.
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