Buckling Laminate flooring


  #1  
Old 05-06-09, 12:06 PM
H
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Houston, Tx
Posts: 1
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Buckling Laminate flooring

I was just sent a similar article to this Forum in regards to laminate floor buckling. Just as the person "semple" reported, I have the same issue with laminate flooring purchased through Home Depot and installed by one of their contractors. My laminate floor started buckling in two places around Jan of 2009, after being installed in October of 2008. From Jan through April 1, the areas went to 5 or 6. At first, the two places would come up about once a week and then recede back to flat. Keep in mind that we were in a drought from Jan to Apr 1 and then started getting occasional showers, but not much. Now the 5 to 6 places are staying buckled with some minor relaxing, but still raised.

I contacted Home Depot 3 weeks ago and explained the buckling. Home Depot scheduled their installer to come out and look at the floors, who was the actual installer employee the first time. He then reported back to his company and then his manager and him made a second visit to access the problem.

In one corner of the room, they pulled up the floor molding to verify the expansion gap. 1/4 inch showing. They then proceeded to pull up 2 rows of laminate to check concrete floor moisture content. Readings of 4.5 to 6.0 was verified by a moisture measuring instrument. We have had 3 days of torrential rain finally 6 days earlier. But the floor buckling was going on way before we had any rain. I forgot to mention that a moisture barrier plastic was laid down before the initial floor installation.

The flooring sub-contractor manager advised that he believes that the concrete slab moisture was the problem. He did advise, before they performed the moisture test, that they are now required to install a heavier moisture barrier plastic with my type of laminate. One thing I remembered when I watched them install the flooring was the barrier plastic was not smoothed out and a lot of it was doubled over with rinkles. I do not know if this would someway hamper the expansion of the laminate.

I have not heard back from the Installer or Home Depot since May 1 yet, but they seem to want to push the moisture issue. I assume they are discussing.

Please advise what my options are.

hopeful fix
 
  #2  
Old 05-07-09, 09:06 AM
A
Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Saint George, Utah
Posts: 150
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Have a real Independent Inspector come out and look at the problem. You can find them through NWFA.com I looked at a claim once where the installer says he tested the concrete floor with a meter before install and everything looked fine. When i asked him to show me his meter it was a pin-type wood only meter that he would touch the tips to the concrete. So sometimes installers are trying to do the right thing but are misinformed on the correct way to find problems.
I would wait and find out their solution before i go pay for an Inspector.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: