The top easy-to-install ‘floating’ flooring

If you’re thinking about putting your house on the market, redoing your floors is one way to spruce up a room. And while putting in a new floor may seem daunting, experts say there’s oneoption that easy to install, affordable and can go right over your existing floor. They are called “floating” floors.

Floating floors come in a variety of materials, including plastic laminate, solid wood, ceramic, cork and even bamboo. Consumer Reports testers ran a battery of tests to look for flooring that holds up the best under any circumstance.

A scrubbing machine was used to check how well it would survive a lot of foot traffic. Another test checked whether the floors will stain. And the dent test was used to see whether the floor will be damaged if you drop anything from silverware to an iron skillet.

SnapStone 11-001-02-01 ceramic tiles are the top-rated floating flooring, although like any tiles, they'll crack if hit hard enough. In Canada they are sold under the brand name Avaire. They snap together easily and are impervious to stains, scuffs, and scratching. They're available at Lowe's for about $7.50 a square foot. If you install it yourself, you can save $400 to $500 on the average kitchen.

If you have your heart set on wood, Consumer Reports top rated a pre-finished bamboo flooring, Teragren Portfolio Naturals   TPF-SYN-WHT-126-DL, that costs $7.50 a square foot. It clicks together easily, no nails or glue necessary.

Consumer Reports says for an average-sized room, installing a floating floor can be done in a day, and you can walk on it right away. There's no waiting for glue to set or the finish to dry.