Laminate Floor Buckling Humidity

Beyond improper humidity levels in the crawlspace and basement there are more potential causes for hardwood floor buckling.

Laminate floor buckling humidity. When the humidity in the room exceeds 60 percent laminate boards expand and push against each other. However if the laminate flooring is not installed properly or is exposed to moisture it may buckle. Without this barrier moisture can cause buckling. I may have read somewhere that when installing laminate flooring in a large room that more than a 1 4 gap should be left is this true.

The repair process is basically the same. The flooring should be installed leaving a gap of 1 4 inch to 1 2 inch around the perimeter of the room. The higher quality the material the less likely it is to buckle due to moisture. Poor cleaning practices may also be responsible.

Repair techniques are similar and involve removing excess moisture drying the area and replacing damaged laminated tiles with new ones. Although you should never use water to clean a laminate floor some people regularly wet mop their floor or worse use a steam cleaner. Use a hammer and chisel or putty knife to remove baseboards or molding near the damaged boards. And once a floor has buckled is it going to be a repetitive issue.

This may cause noticeable ridges along the seams called cupping or bulges. Preventing buckling is relatively simple if addressed during the floor s installation. Hardwood floors buckle when the humidity levels in the lower levels of the house are too high in the crawlspace or basement explains the basement health association in the article negative effects on hardwood floors. Laminate floor buckling like lifting can be caused by changes in temperature and humidity levels.

If water seeps up under the flooring from an extremely moist concrete subfloor the adhesive can be weakened causing buckling in the floors. A moisture barrier is a thin sheet of polyethylene that is laid between the subfloor and the hardwood. Laminate flooring is made to last however sometimes you can run into issues and one of the most common issues is buckling laminate flooring. Since it is a floating floor the planks tend to contract when it is cool and expand when.

Buckling for both laminate and solid hardwood floors can also occur if your floor has been improperly installed. I have a laminate floor that is buckling but only in a certain area of a large room will it flatten back out as the humidity level drops. Another important part of installation is the expansion gap. Buckling occurs when laminate flooring does not have enough space to contract and expand with temperature changes.

High humidity in the room can also seep into the laminate boards and cause swelling.