Q: I was reading your answers and came upon something discussing problems with cabinets or heavy objects resting on a floating floor. IKEA’s cabinetry sits on top of the flooring rather than being inset or built around. In addition, of course, we have the expected refrigerator and stove. As these items are distributed around the kitchen, are we in-line for problems?
Thanks
Jon
A: Depending on how long this floor has been down and how long the cabinetry has been over it. With all floating floors it is not suggested to put very heavy furniture at the edges of a floating floor, regardless of how it is distributed.
This is especially problematic if the underlayment used for your floor is a foam type underlayment. Some floating floors can bear a bit more weight when installed over cork underlayment, but this weight should never be at the edge of the floor. A good example is a game room with a pool table in the center.
If these cabinets have only been in place for a short amount of time, it would be best to remove them, then remove some of the flooring, so that the cabinetry and appliances sit on subfloor (or a plywood platform to shim them up) then install flooring around the areas they take up. Even with cabinetry that is not built in, the weight of cabinets when filled will cause a floating floor to act like a teeter-totter, and usually within a short time you will see issues with gaps and buckling in the floor.
