Has anyone else had problems with laminate floor buckling in the recent extremely hot weather? Despite supposedly adequate expansion gaps, some of my flooring has risen, usually in the centre of rooms. Can I expect it to contract again, as we move into winter? Or do I have to remove my skirting boards and increase the edge-gaps? And if I do, will the flooring then lay flat again?
Many thanks,
Bert
Are the gaps still there, or are you saying it's expanded so much as to fill them? Is the floor floating enough that it can move to allow the gaps to do their job?
Did you fill the gaps with cork?
Are you sure it's not getting damp from below and buckling? What is the underlying floor?
MBQ
MBQ,
Thanks for the reply. Most of the edges are concealed by skirting, so it's not possible to see if the expansion gaps have been totally used up. They were fitted with cork strips, yes.
The underfloor is wooden floorboards, with the usual layer of 1/8" or so fibre underlay.
Given the recent weather and the lack of any other source of dampness, I don't believe the flooring has been dampened from the underside.
One factor I hadn't thought of is that there are one or two items of fitted furniture, secured to the floorboards through the laminate. In retrospect, it seems obvious that these have prevented the laminate moving freely. The cure would seem to be cutting back the flooring so that it butts up against the furniture (with a concealed expansion gap) rather than running underneath it - rather a messy job, but one that should do the trick, shouldn't it?
Bert
I would say that is definitely a problem.
A circular saw set to the right depth would allow you to make a cut-out for the furniture but I think it would, as you say, be messy job unless you can hide the gap.
You could try enlarging the holes in the laminate around the fixings that go through to the floorboards so that there is room for the laminate to move. The weight of the furniture may still prevent any movement, however. You could then try putting the furniture on "feet" that rest on the floorboards and take the weight off the laminate. The feet would be just slightly thicker than the laminate with, say, 10mm clearance to allow the laminate to move around them.
MBQ
MBQ,
The more I think about, the more obvious it seems. I only wish it had been obvious *before* I fitted the furniture.
Some items have removable (and non-load-bearing) plinths which means I might be able to run the flooring just under them and then cut it off. Legs and edges would still need to be visibly cut around, but this might be a neater overall solution. I might even be able to cut back the flooring with the furniture still in position, if I can find a suitably low-profile cutting tool.
Bert
On Tue, 13 Sep 2005 13:37:42 +0100, "Bert Coules" scrawled:
Without even seeing the job I can be fairly certain that a Fein MultiMaster will do the job.
Thanks for that. I've found a picture of one, but I'm not clear on exactly where the cutting edge is: does it cut at the end of the handle, so to speak, (like a chisel) or at ninety degrees to it? I would have about a six inch vertical clearance above the floor to work in.
Bert
OK, I've now found a better picture and I can see the general idea of the tool. But I'm still not clear if the blade can be fitted sideways, to allow cutting in a space with limited headroom.
Bert
On Tue, 13 Sep 2005 15:24:36 +0100, "Bert Coules" scrawled:
You can spin the blade round and cut at any angle to the body of the machine so all you need space wise in a tight corner is roughly body width of machine with a hand around it.
Stuart,
That's great, that's exactly the information I needed. It sounds like just the tool for the job.
Many thanks,
Bert
Could it be condensation in or on the relative cold floor? Maybe water vapour is moving down through the laminate surface. Warm air holds more moisture than cold. In hot weather, it's likely that there will be a greater temperature difference between the floor and the air. Is it a solid floor or suspended? Just a thought Regards Tom
Tom, thanks for the reply. I hadn't thought of condensation, but I think it's fairly unlikely: I'd have noticed, surely, if the top surface of the laminate was getting damp? And even if it had, with glued joints not that much moisture would penetrate through to the underside, I'd have thought.
The original floorboards are suspended over a sizeable (and pretty well-ventilated) void: a three or four foot space above a concrete raft.
Bert
Bert Coules wrote: || Despite supposedly adequate expansion || gaps, some of my flooring has risen, usually in the centre of rooms.
Aha! The old levitating laminate trick!
Dave
Dave,
I was copying off an old show of mine today, and to my shame found that I'd rounded off a list of (entirely fictional) international companies with "Copperfield Aviation" !
No-one seemed to notice at the time...
Bert
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.