Floating floors are forgiving to install and unforgiving about what sits beneath them. Nearly every laminate or vinyl plank failure traces back to one of three things skipped before the first plank was clicked together.
The first is flatness. Most manufacturers specify a tolerance somewhere around three-sixteenths of an inch over ten feet. Anywhere the subfloor dips more than that, the planks bridge the gap, the locking joints flex every time somebody walks across it, and the seams eventually separate or the floor develops a hollow sound. Checking with a long straightedge and filling the low spots isn't optional work.
The second is moisture. Over a concrete slab, particularly a basement in this climate, the slab can pass moisture upward for years without ever feeling damp to the touch. A moisture test and the right underlayment or vapor barrier costs very little compared with pulling up a whole floor that has cupped.
The third is the expansion gap. Laminate and vinyl move with temperature and humidity, and the seasonal swing in Upstate New York is substantial. The gap the manufacturer specifies around every wall, pipe, and threshold is what absorbs that movement. Push a floating floor tight to the walls and it will buckle in the middle of the room the first humid August, with nowhere else for the material to go.
Two smaller details finish the job properly: let the material acclimate in the room for the time the manufacturer specifies before installation, and plan the transitions at doorways before starting rather than improvising at the threshold. A floor that's flat, dry, and free to move will still look right in ten years. One that's none of those will announce the problem long before then.