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Are there laminate floors that don't inevitably creak?

  • 15-08-2022 07:56PM
    #1
    L1011
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 72,402 ✭✭✭✭


    I need to redo the flooring in my bedroom. I don't particularly like carpets, particularly in bedrooms. The floors are softwood planks, in no condition for sanding and varnishing due to being lifted for heating and wiring installations.

    But every single laminate floor I've ever encountered creaks after a while, with quite a range of quality of the flooring, the underlay or the installation. From cheapest of the cheap laminate through to things sold as 'engineered flooring'

    Is there something out there that everyone I know with laminate has missed?



Comments

  • #2
    redmug
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9 ✭redmug


    I agree with you here, every laminate floor I have seen seems to creak. I suspect this is because they are floating floors on underlay and are not fixed to the subfloor. I have seen engineered wood floors and solid wood floors that are fixed and they don't seem to suffer as badly.

    I installed a LVP floor earlier this year (made by amtico) and it seems to be really good. Its a floating floor - very similar to laminate (comes as planks that clip together), but as its essentially plastic you can cut it more easily and it doesn't need a separate underlay, it's already built into the plank. We put a lot of effort into making sure the subfloor was flat before laying it.. and no creaks so far! Its also supposed to be waterproof.

    One thing I would say is that it's not quite as hard-wearing as laminate... managed to scrape it by moving a table that would not have shown when moving on a C5 laminate despite the sales rep telling me it's more hard-wearing.

    Still only have it less than a year at this point but on the whole, I would recommend it over laminate.



  • #3
    Mellor
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 40,259 ✭✭✭✭Mellor


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058258993/are-there-laminate-floors-that-dont-inevitably-creak

    It's not because it's a laminate specifically. It's because they are floating floors and this means they are able to move. Combined with thermal movement, and a thin substrate, you get bowing and displacement over time. If you have up a high board it will creak if you stand on it. This is made worse by a bad installation. I have laminate in my place and after the first winter to summer when the floors expanded, I recut the front edge to take the stress out. And there been very little creaking.

    Engineer board are not laminates. They are real wood. Less likely to creak as they are thicker. But still possible if floated. But can also be fixed. I've used engineer boards in high end commercial spaces, but always direct stick at a minimum.

    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119759675#Comment_119759675

    Probably less likely to bow as it would be more thermally stable. I'd have associated LVP/LVT with the flexible tiles. But I suppose it describes the rigid board too.



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