genetik_defekt Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Hey guys. Im about to go and pick up a 8x2x2 and i was wanting to put it in my lounge room. But i have those snap together floating laminate floors. We bought them because we plan to have kids soon and they are very durable, but they need to move im told and im worried if i put all that weight in one spot they will seperate with the movement from the house. Anyone have these or if they can shed some light let me know please. Im filling the tank in about two weeks so ive got untill then to work it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oosh Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 That's a curly one, have you sort advice from the manufacturer (of the flooring that is)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAZ Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 No way would I put an 8 x 2 x 2 on a timber floating floor. The flooring will not carry the weight and will squash unevenly and cause your tank to crack, I have seen it happen first hand. I assume you have concrete beneath the floating timber floor. If that is the case I would cut out the timber around the footprint of the cabinet and let it sit on the concrete and not on the flooring. Sorry to put a dampener on your plans, but better to find out now and not after you have filled the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitrusty Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 I totally agree with Waz on this one.I lay floating floors and i went with what Waz said cut around the stand.Also make sure that you mop up any water that you spill on it straight away or this stuff will blow up with water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbuna man Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Glad i seen this post. Puting this type of floor down over xmas. So it swells like that old particle board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genetik_defekt Posted December 16, 2008 Author Share Posted December 16, 2008 yeah thats what i figured guys, appreciate it. they are the quality german ones so water doesnt seem to affect them too much, my wife spilled a cup of water and it was there for atleast 2 days before we freaking noticed! But alas no damage But yeah i was thinking i might cut out the foot print as you stated. I really want it in the lounge room so ppl will be like WOW!! nah JK i just wanna sit there and watch it! Any idea how i would go about cutting it now its already laid? i would hate to have to rip it up and go again, if thats the case ill rip it up and lay cheap carpet! Mbuna man. It can swell up with water, and will if its left there. The cheaper ones will take water easily but if you buy the german ones, they are call clik or something like that. They seem to be better quality but of course are about twice the price of standard laminate. My opinion now would be if you ever want to put tanks in go carpet all the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freemason2250 Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Floating floorboards are a pain in the rear, We were going to do it and when we bought like 100 packets and got them home the pieces of crap just didn't click together, So we pi**ed them off back to bunnings and laid hardwood instead alot more cutting but alot easier P.S yes i know i have gone off topic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitrusty Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 Floating floors are good as long as you take the right precautions as in getting water off it as soon as possible.Carpet is the same they all have their pros and cons the real timber floating floors are the best in my opinion(this is what i have in my fish room ).As for cutting out around the stand You can adjust most circular saws to cut only 5 or 6 mm deep to do the main cutting out and just a jigsaw to cut the remaining few cms near the wall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonx Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 This may be a stupid question, but laying down some laminate or an extra 8ft wide section of some kinda sealed wood wouldn't do the job? I'm hoping to put a 6x2x2 down on a timber floating floor (using real timber, not a laminate) for a place we're renting at the moment. The agent had no problems when I mentioned it during an inspection but I didn't tell her how much weight it'll be putting down. My stand is made of hollow square metal with 6 or 8 feet, but I'm thinking of checking the frame for squareness - if good, then i'll use an angle grinder to carefully cut the feet off and use the bottom rectangular frame to contact the ground, as it'll distribute the weight more evenly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oz_gooner Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I would have thought spreading the weight out by having the stand contact more of the floor would be ok. I have a 4ft and 3 ft on floating floor, and have had no prob's. The next house we get will have real timber on the floor cause we found when the dishwasher leaks mid cycle in the middle of the night those suckers do swell. If you want to put cutouts in the floor you could use a Dremel (spelling?). I think you can get a very small rotating blade for them. Would make a neater cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 I would have thought spreading the weight out by having the stand contact more of the floor would be ok. It all boils down to the quality of the flooring being used. In some cases, laminate flooring will deflect less than real wood, and will absorb far less moisture than real wood. I actually tested a piece of our laminate flooring by submerging it in a bucket of water for over 10 hrs. (both ends had been cut, so it was ideal for a max water absorption test) My flooring 'experts' could not choose this piece from 3 other sample pieces that I laid out for them. Both of them chose the wrong pieces. lol Interestingly enough, this flooring is also quite burn proof. A lit cig with a red hot end was laid on the flooring until it burnt out. (5+ minutes) and there was zero damage to the flooring. Just some tar & nicotine residue, which was easily wiped off. Some of the laminate flooring here actually costs more than hard wood. When our basement (concrete floor) was refinished laminate flooring was used (a high quality brand) and along one 15ft wall I have two 6ft tanks, and have had zero issues. Ditto with my other tanks in this room. The key is having the total weight of the tank & stand distributed evenly over as large an area as possible. Here in North America laminate flooring is also laid down over a thin foam underlay (when laid on concrete it also has a special layer that is bonded to the foam which acts as a moisture barrier) which also allows a slight bit of deflection in the flooring. If you are still concerned, you can always lay a sheet of plywood down over the laminate, and place your stand on that. The edges can be finished in stained corner round if the aesthetics bother you. At least that way if the tank is ever to be moved, or you decide to sell your home, you won't have a large empty space with no flooring sticking out like a sore thumb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genetik_defekt Posted December 28, 2008 Author Share Posted December 28, 2008 Hey guys. Just a quick update! I ended up just cutting out the foot print around the base of the stand. Im going to get some 8mm MDF tomoro and seal it so it cant swell when wet. I had a look and after cutting the boards i only destroyed about 6 planks, so if i ever need to get rid of or move the tank i can simply replace the boards. Im going to grab another box of them just in case they end up changing the colour or something. Cheers guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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