Why Is My Laminate Floor Not Laying Flat

This is a serious problem because it usually means the boards are damaged and need to be replaced.

Why is my laminate floor not laying flat.

When you are installing snap and click laminate flooring you will need a soft rubber mallet and block of wood. The block of wood can be a scrap piece of wood as long as it is flat on both sides. When properly installed it should have a gap of approximately 1 4 inch from the walls of the room on all sides. Laminate flooring is designed to be installed as floated floor thus it is not nailed or glued to the sub floor and works as one big pancake that expands and contract with temperature humidity changes.

The bulges probably mean that the floor is not flat which means starting over again i m afraid. Laminate flooring is said to float because it is not fastened to the sub floor. Not all vinyl plank flooring requires a glue down installation process. When you remove the floor boards and replace them be sure to cover the subfloor with a layer of plastic or tarpaper so it doesn t happen again.

Loose lay vinyl flooring is extremely popular because of its durability and easy installation process but it does have a tendency to buckle if heavy furniture is dragged across the surface of the floor. Use caution when using a block of wood and a mallet on some laminate flooring. Also check for any damp areas this would swell the laminate if wood. Installers avoid it by laying a moisture barrier between the laminate and the subfloor.

And don t forget to lay an underlay felt or a rubber composite type floor covering. This situation can be easily remedied. The most common cause of peaking is a lack of expansion space between the laminate floor and the walls around the perimeter of the installation or a lack of expansion space between the laminate floor and laminate moldings. All the individual pieces interlock into one sheet that lays or floats on the sub floor.