Problems With Floating Laminate Flooring

If you glue the laminate down you will run into problems as the humidity and temperature naturally changes.

Problems with floating laminate flooring. The term floating floor does not refer to a type of flooring material but rather to a method of installation that can be used with a variety of materials including laminates engineered hardwood and luxury vinyl flooring. Moisture can warp the boards and damage them so homeowners should lay mats and other protective materials in areas like bathrooms that will absorb water. It is best to fit a laminate floor as a floating floor with expansion gaps around the edges. Floating floors are susceptible to moisture problems especially when homeowners install them in moist areas like kitchens and bathrooms or over concrete.

A common cause of this issue is often with weather and climate related especially if you re in a very wet or very dry climate. Installation or other issues that result in gaps make the flooring vulnerable to chipping. Laminate flooring in the kitchen is okay as long as you re diligent about cleaning up spills and splashes. Even if laminate floors aren t natural materials they still need to move.

Installations on basement floors and slabs should include a moisture barrier. Even the best laminate flooring is susceptible to moisture damage and shouldn t be installed laundry rooms and rooms with sump pumps or floor drains. Nailing or fastening through the floating floor creates a pinch point and will cause a buckling failure. Floating floors have become increasingly popular for many types of floor coverings.

Also known as crowning when laminate flooring boards lift at the seams this is referred to as peaking. Simulation of exotic woods and patterns combined with its cost effectiveness make an options for some homeowners over hardwoods. Laminate flooring is tough material but it can chip especially along exposed edges. It also makes it a great choice to do a quick flooring makeover when it comes time to prepare your home.

Laminate flooring has grown in popularity over the past decade or so. If water gets into the sub floor the dampness can cause the floor to buckle positive curvature or warp negative curvature. Do not nail moldings or transitions into the floating floor moldings and transition pieces must be nailed or fastened into the wall or substrate not into the flooring. Laminate floors can be challenged by humidity and pooling water in a disturbingly myriad number of ways.

Because of the ease of installation laminate floors can be the diy ers flooring of choice.