Hybrid Flooring

Hybrid flooring is a type of floating floor which has been manufactured to be extremely dimensionally stable compared to conventional floating floors, as well as being waterproof.

They vary in thickness from 5 to 9mm thick and use a variety of locking systems to hold them together.

They have an acoustic backing built onto the base so, unlike regular floating floors, no underlays are required.

The surface is made of an image of timber or stone covered by a tough, textured wear-layer of various thicknesses these floors are fairly rigid and have cores of stone polymer, wood polymer or reinforced PVC, all designed not to swell when subjected to moisture from above or below (rising damp).

No adhesive is used when installing this kind of flooring, and the locked “raft” of flooring only needs a 5 -8mm expansion gap around all walls and fittings.

Australians are purchasing mostly timber-look patterns and local timbers such as Tassie Oak, Blackbutt and Spotted gums are proving to be very popular.

However, there are many classic oaks and timbers from around the world as well as some stone, tile and concrete patterns scattered through the ranges.

ID Flooring’s Gold Coast showrooms display one of Australia’s largest range of planks, so come in and inspect our entire range.

Installation without adhesive allows Hybrids to be installed over certain subfloors that stick-down flooring would fail.

Flat tile floors can be laid directly over with minimal preparation.

The pure bulk of these products combined with acoustic backings has great in-home benefits by reducing sound penetration through the floor to rooms below as well as absorbing ambient and foot-fall sounds.

Being made of synthetic and composite polymers, they are water-proof, so wet-mopping, pet accidents, leaks or spillages have no effect on the flooring.

The textured surface means you will no longer be a slave to your floor.

Fade-resistant dyes mean that they withstand colour-loss much longer than real timber flooring, and have the toughest and most resilient surfaces in this category.

These floating style of floors have joints that must be supported underneath and can lose integrity if constantly flexing, meaning that the subfloor requirements are higher than, say, Loose Lay flooring or any floor that is being glued to the floor.

They require expansion gaps along the perimeters and expansion joints may be required to separate certain areas.

These gaps require covers or skirting removal and refitting.

Like all floating floors, vertical movement may be noticed and sounds may emanate from joint movement.

To allow normal expansion and contraction, your planks cannot be “anchored” down by heavy items like pianos, slate pool table etc.

High temperatures from heaters, fridges or even direct sunlight may affect the product and cause buckling or peaking.

Replacing a damaged plank is tricky and may stand out once repaired.

Talk to the guys at ID Flooring to determine if Hybrid flooring is suitable for your home.

Almost every type of domestic subfloor can have Hybrid flooring laid over it.

Installers should ensure that any subfloor is smooth, flat and use a straight edge to locate undulations greater than 3mm over 2m, which must be attended to.

Edges and lipping commonly found in tiled or particle-board floors may require grinding or sanding.

Timber floors must be solid and secure. Securely glued vinyl sheet, vinyl planks or cork flooring can also be installed over.

Let ID Flooring’ experienced experts take the worry out of this when your home is inspected.

ID Flooring can also guide DIYers with all the information and products to give their projects a professional finish.

All floors can be damaged but the tough wear-layer and indentation-resistance of Hybrid planks easily withstand the rigours of day-to-day life.

Dragging heavy fridges or furniture without protective pads has been known to cause surface marks.

A plank can be removed, and a new plank glued into place.

This may be done by a handy-man or handy-woman or call ID Flooring for a  service call by one of our professional installers.

We recommend spare material be purchased and stored completely flat to ensure matching flooring is available throughout the life span of your floor.

With a wear-layer of 0.5mm or over are generally graded ‘Heavy Residential and will give homeowners decades of service.

Most of these carry Residential wear warranties of 20 – 25 years, while those with thinner wear-layers will have reduced warranties and life spans.

Areas exposed to direct or reflected sunlight during the middle of the day may eventually exhibit colour loss or change, so the use of window coverings or awnings will help with this.

Regular cleaning and the use of entry mats and furniture protectors will ensure your new floor maintains its new look for many years.