Engineered hardwood flooring is designed to minimize gaps due to expansion and contraction of the wood.
Floating hardwood floor separating.
However plank separation can also occur with floating floors.
Floating floor plank separation.
One recent innovation in a floating hardwood floor is known as the lock and fold approach.
Gapping in engineered hardwood can be due to many factors including but not limited to the material s manufacturing changes in humidity and the type and quality of the installation.
A floating laminate floor is not glued nailed stapled or otherwise secured to the subflooring.
Laminate floors do not warp so this only applies to wood floors.
But to answer a common question.
Often floating engineered wood floors are installed over existing tile vinyl or another floor.
Almost every wood floor will show some separation between boards particularly in the winter months when homes are heated and the air is dry.
How to fix separating hardwood floors.
I have mainly discussed plank separation for solid wood and engineered floors that have been directly bonded to the sub floor.
Instead it is put together almost like a puzzle with planks snugly fitted together.
Rope and foam cracks wider than 1 4 inch that result from warping in the wood and not separated sections of the floating floor can.