Laminate Floor Issue

PGL

Hi folks

As part of house extension works back in August I got the builder to remove tiles from the kitchen and replace them with wooden laminate flooring. When the laminate flooring was laid I commented that the floor was very "springy" in one spot in particular, and asked if the floor was levelled before the laminate flooring was laid. I was told the floor was not levelled off and that it was normal for laminate flooring to be "springy". That was the end of that conversation at the time.

However it has emerged in the past few months that the laminate flooring at the "springy" spot is no longer springy and instead the laminate flooring is warped and becoming uneven at this location, and I'm afraid if it gets worse it will become a trip hazard.

Do I have a comeback with the builder in this situation? i.e. should he have ensured the floor was levelled off before the laminate floor was laid?

Many thanks!

PGL

does the lack of a response mean I have already answered an obvious question?

slinky2000

it could have been the fact the installer didn't leave an expansion space along the edges of the floor and when it expands it has no where to go ??

Carpenter

Expansion gap was not big enough and its now hitting the wall remove the skirting board and have a look first before getting on to the builder .

PGL

Carpenter wrote: »

Expansion gap was not big enough and its now hitting the wall remove the skirting board and have a look first before getting on to the builder .

The floor is in the kitchen, with kitchen units installed along opposite walls, so there are no skirting boards. The floor was laid before the kitchen units were fitted, so it would be difficult to see if the expansion gap was big enough.

Would an uneven surface underneath the laminate flooring cause a problem?

slimjimmc

Depending on how uneven the subfloor is it could cause a problem . Flooring manufacturers usually stipulate how flat the subfloor should be, typically this is in the region of 3mm or 4mm over a 3m length. A 3mm foam underlay is normally laid to allow for this variation.
A hump in the floor may result in the foam underlay being extra compressed at that point making it feel firmer, a hollow in the floor would feel spongy. I'm not certain but I think laminate will settle a little into hollows and gradually fell less springy. In addition, the foam underlay may compress slightly over time and can feel firmer underfoot.

Best practice would be to level the subfloor to the manufacturers spec but as this was not done (admitted by the builder) I wonder did the builder double up on the underlay to try accommodate the uneven floor. I don't think this would be considered good practice because it make the floor feel particularly spongy overall.

If the floor was restricted by the lack of an adequate expansion gap or the weight of the kitchen units I would have expect the floor to feel even more springy as the laminate boards bulge upwards.