I have a wood floating floor on the second floor of my home --it's wood, not laminate. It was properly climatized before being installed (the flooring was left inside for more than three weeks before installation). Proper subflooring was also installed. It is about four years old. For the past few winters, the floor looked beautiful. But this winter, I've been working from home -- meaning that the house has been heated all day rather than just evenings and weekends. The house has become very dry and the upstairs floor has contracted and is pushing up and splitting all over the place. It's getting worse by the day. I know there's no way to fix the cracks but what about pushing the flooring back down? Would running a humidifier and weighing down the problem areas do the trick? Or am I just out of luck?
If it contracted, it wouldn't be pushing up. It would be separating. It sounds more like it has expanded, and that something is restraining all or part of it, hence the pushing up and splitting.
However, I don't know whether there's a cure or not. I leave that for hands-on flooring people. Hopefully, one will be along.
Architect (NY) and Home Designer (PA)
Posts: 2863 | Location: Tobyhanna, PA | Registered: 24 October 2005
Is this an engineered floor? (plywood with real wood veneer on the top layer?) I've never seen a real wood floating floor, that does not mean that it not, I've just never seen one. Any real wood or engineered floors I've seen get glued or stapled down. If the floor is buckling then someone nailed it directly to the floor some place, used tar paper under it, to heavy a piece of furniture sitting on it, cut it to long along the outside edges, moisture coming up from the floor below it. (there should have been a foam pad directly under it and 6 mil. plastic on the ground if there's a crawl space under it.) For it to buckle up it would have to be to moist not to dry.
Where all stupid, just in different subjects.
Posts: 98 | Location: Hallieford VA | Registered: 28 November 2007
Floating floors need some room to expand and contract, so they are always installed with an expansion gap where the flooring meets walls, cabinets, plumbing fixtures or other floorings. These gaps are covered with baseboard or trim pieces.
I agree with harmonsmith. You really first need to check the humidity levels in the house and see if they coincide with the manufacturers recommended realtive humidity levels. Most manufacturers recommend between 40-60% relative humidity. I would start there then look at if the installer left proper expansion gaps.
