ᐅ Solid wood parquet on underfloor heating

I’m just worried that it might spread, for example, underneath the impact sound insulation.

Moisture can indeed seep into the joints, yes. But if it’s not a permanent situation, it will dry out again without causing damage. From my perspective, there is no significant disadvantage with a floating floor in this regard.

“If you ever need to replace a plank because, for instance, the top layer is coming loose, it’s easier with glued flooring, right?”

In my experience, "replacing a plank" hardly ever happens. Technically, I think both methods—glued or floating—are not easy, no matter what.

What seems more important to me personally is the surface treatment: oiled or lacquered?

Lacquered material looks cleaner during the first few years because almost no dirt sticks to it. However, once the first scratches appear, it looks noticeably worse since stains cannot be removed the way they can with oiled material... and scratches will inevitably occur at some point.

I imagine replacing glued-down planks is considerably more difficult. After all, they are fully adhered if the installer did their job properly. To remove one, you will likely have to damage and replace the adjacent planks as well.

For floating floors, you could (I’m not saying it’s advisable) cut through the tongues of the click system on the plank in question (using a multitool, for example) and then glue the new plank into the gap. That should work reasonably well.

With glued flooring, you also have the issue of adhesive residue left on the subfloor, which needs to be removed completely to lay the new plank evenly—this, in my opinion, is more difficult. However, I am not a professional floor installer.

Tolentino schrieb:

Floating installation could involve (I’m not saying it’s advisable) cutting through the tongues of the click system on the affected plank (for example with a multitool) and then gluing the new plank into the gap - well, in the end, glued anyway.

You do the same with glued parquet: cut out and replace.

Both methods are not ideal and only done when the parquet is really damaged. Under normal use, that might only happen after 40 years (?).

HubiTrubi40 schrieb:

Hi everyone, it will probably be installed as a floating floor. Due to the low wear layer of 2.5 mm (1 inch) and ultimately the strong insistence of my flooring installer, we are going with floating installation.

For what reasons? I don’t understand. I just see the flooring installer saying “I don’t feel like it.” Or is the installer’s answer to why the typical “Because I said so!”?

HubiTrubi40 schrieb:

Is floating installation at a disadvantage if water gets on the parquet (we also have it in the dining area)? For example, a glass could be knocked over. I’m just worried that the water might spread underneath the impact sound insulation.

As with any floating floor (vinyl, luxury vinyl tile, laminate, etc.), it’s not a problem if the liquid is wiped up promptly and it’s not a whole bucket of water (even then it will eventually dry).

Benutzer200 schrieb:

You do the same with glued hardwood flooring. Cut it out and replace it.

I understand, but wouldn’t you agree that the process is more complicated with glued planks? After all, the adhesive bonds the entire surface, meaning you have to either carefully scrape out the whole plank piece by piece or at least remove an adjacent plank to get an access point from the long side underneath the plank. Then you have to remove any remaining glue from the subfloor to achieve a smooth surface.

With floating floors, you simply disconnect the joints from the other planks and lift them out.

For "glued" flooring, you need to remove both the wood and the adhesive, then glue a new piece in place. After that, the surface must be sanded and treated. If the floor is lacquered, it is usually very difficult to repair it satisfactorily. If it is oiled, it might be possible.

For "floating" floors, the inserted piece must be connected to the old floor at the edges using tongue and groove joints... which in most cases is probably not possible, at least not for a typical tradesperson.

No, you won’t be able to connect it with tongue and groove anymore. The new plank will have to be glued in place. However, if you are careful when cutting out the damaged part, you can keep the tongues of the neighboring planks intact and then use a chisel to remove the ridge (if present). You can then cut off the lower edge of the groove on the new plank and glue the planks together only along the seam. This method is also commonly used during the initial installation, for example with edge planks when you cannot install from the back because of a door frame or similar obstruction, and have to connect the front side last to the row above. In these cases, even with a click system, gluing is done only along the joined edge. With a bit of practice, this is achievable even for a motivated DIYer without professional experience.