Laminate Flooring Lifting Up.

combuilder

In September of last year I had an installer install Bruce laminate flooring in my condo. The floor is concrete. The building association had the installer use cork for sound deadening. About a week after the floor was laid we moved in. The floor looked great at this point. Around the end of December I started to see the floor “floating” up off the concrete in certain areas. The main hallway was most notable. If you step on a plank in this area the surrounding planks will go down by about a quarter of an inch!!! I noticed that other areas such as at the entrance to a carpeted bedroom, by a sliding glass door, and
underneath kitchen windows the “float” was also about a quarter of an inch. I chose Bruce laminate flooring at the request of other condo owners who had the floors in their units for many years’ without any problems. Any idea why the problem? Is it an installation problem? Should the wood have been acclimated in the unit for a week before installation? Please help. Thank you.

DecksEtc

Go to www.diychatroom.com to ask your question.

That or call the contractor that installed it and ask him.

Floordude

Ya, it sounds like an acclimation issue, expansion space issue, or the interior is greenhousing.

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hawaii

I understand that the underlayment used on the project was cork.
What kind of moisture barrier was used?
Plastic?
If the flooring is lifing this means that there is execive expansion of the product, this could be cosed by a lot of things.
Maybe the laminate floor was stored not propally so before installation was very dry and after moisture expousure it expanded and lifted.
laminate is very stable floor so this is really unusual.
Was it installed in the rainy season?
Call the contractor that have installed it then some ather contractors that can have a look on it and give you profecional opinion.
Good luck

3rdFloorDesign

Most likley the casue is expansion. Since you mentioned that the material has been installed in your condos before with no problems, then unless you condo sits on a underwater spring, moisture may not be an issue.

If the installer did not leave at least 1/4" space around the parimeter, then normal expansion will cause the floor to hit the baseboards on both ends of a room and then push up, causing the trampoline effect.

Soultions include removing the base and installing it on top of the floor, or undercutting the base and installing new shoe. There are a few work arounds for this problem.

Labor should be warrantied for a year, so call your installer.

jamestrd

it is defnitely expansion and my guess is a direct moisture source..

where you live will be a factor..since december is cold in most states, heat will be used, therefore, normal or excessive humidities should not be a factor..

note the areas you notice..

slidiing door, under kitchen window..this ,with basic deduction will start to answer your questions. These all go outside... are you buidling ice dams on the roof? causing water to back in the house? happens all the time

the level you are on will also help, but I assume you are not on the first floor, otherwise, why use cork? no one underneath, no need for sound deadening..

I think you have a leak, probably minor.

a moisture barrier must always be used on a slab, but will not help much is water is coming in directly.
water will cause excessive swelling and will make the floor expand more than normal..so if proper expansion of 1/4 is left, it wont matter much with the introduction of water.

cork was not necessary and was actually improper for this installation. Bruce makes 3 in 1 foam underlays,, cork will absorb and hold water.
1( resiliency
2) moisture barrier
3)SOUND DEADENING