Single Strip Floating Hardwood Floors

• These planks are typically the most common among homeowners as they are nearly indistinguishable from traditional hardwood floors. Each plank ranges between 4- and 8-feet long and 2 to 5 inches in width. Depending on the length of the plank, the wood may appear to have two or more planks in one strip, although there is only a single plank in width. Single strip flooring can be made from sliced cut veneer where the top layer is made from a thick, single piece of hardwood, or rotary cut veneer, which uses a thinner piece of hardwood for the top.
  
  

Multiple Strip Floating Hardwood Floors

• These types of floating floors include single planks that look like two or three rows of hardwood planks together. These boards come in the same length as the single strip variety, although they are usually significantly wider, ranging anywhere from 5 to 8 inches. The width depends on the amount of strips each plank has; two strips are usually 5 to 6 inches while three-strip floating wood floors will likely be much wider. The planks can be made from rotary or sliced cut veneer.
  
  

Glued Floating Floors

• While floating floors do not need to be secured to a subfloor, many varieties need to be secured between planks. These are known as glued floating floors and are typically installed using a small amount of wood adhesive between each plank, which allows the engineered wood to contract and expand as one unit rather than by each individual plank, limiting warping, cracking and bowing.
  
  

Click and Lock Floors

• These engineered wood floors are relatively new and allow planks to be installed without any glue. The edges of each plank are cut to connect to each adjoining plank using a tongue-and-groove system, locking them in place without the use of any adhesive. These are usually fairly easy to install and require little time outside of measuring and cutting the planks.
  
  

Finishes

• All of these types of floating wood floors are available in unfinished and finished planks. Unfinished engineered wood is sanded and stained in the same manner as traditional hardwood floors, typically after installation. Finished planks are available in a variety of finishes and stains, with higher end manufacturers offering hand scraped or distressed planks to mimic the look and feel of older hardwood floors.