I was preparing myself to nail down over 1000 sq ft of 3/4" solid wood floor. After reading a lot of info here and asking a couple questions I'm starting to think a floating floor might be a better idea. My wife and I have agreed on one of the Tarkett Town & Country products but we have a bit of concern about what we've heard mentioned about how a floating floor sounds. We've been told they can have a hollow or empty sound when you walk on them. Kind of like tapping on an empty box. Is there really a noticeable difference between walking on a nailed or glued down floor and a floating floor? Either in the way it feels or sounds? Thanks.

A big difference ..

Compare beating a drum, to beating the drum with your hand on it.

More resonance, without something to absorb the sound. Hard sole shoes is where it is really noticed, though.

Hi,

A quick way to test the sound difference yourself, is to glue or nail a board halfway to the floor (so that one half of the plank is glued/nailed, the other half is not). After it dries, take a hammer and tap one side, and tap the other. You will clearly hear the difference between the side that is glued/nailed and the side that is not. To be really objective you should slide a piece of foam between the floor and the non nailed plank side.

Regards,
Bas

I had the same concerns. However, I just finished installing 1000 sq feet of 5/16 BR-111 floating floor and could not be happier. I had to rip out a portion of 3/4 red oak to match the entire area. The sub floor is 3/4 plywood over a basement. I can happily say the new floor is solid without any of the hollow sound. I used quiet walk as an underlayment and the project turned out great... but I'll never do it again. My knees will never be the same.