Bowing Floor

[Gazza855]

I laid a laminate floor 8 months ago and have only now just got around to sorting out the new skirting boards. (my wife loves me...) I had noticed that a couple of parts of the floor would bow ever-so-slightly when the house was warm and I just put this down to the boards expanding and contracting a little. However, when I was fitting my living room skirting this weekend I noticed that in some places, the 5-10mm gap I had left all around the room has been completely eaten up and some boards have moved so much that they are now right up against the plaster. I skirted regardless as the living room is not the main problem area. I am concerned that with winter coming and the central heating kicking in, the boards might go really springy and bow even more. The main problem areas are between the living room floor and the hallway. I boarded continuously from one room to another so I cannot lift these middle boards at all.

Should I just take my chances and see what comes, or, lift the entire hallway floor and relay???

Cheers

Gazza

 

[noseall]

it sounds tome like the laminate has probably 'shifted' a little?

 

[mattysupra]

When the heating comes on the boards should shrink if anything. But being laminate they dont really shrink at all. You need to run around the edge with a circular saw as next summer they may get worse. If they already touching they will only need to grow another mm and your floor will lift off the sub floor and crush the edges of the planks. The flooring will be scrap.

 

[Symptoms]

First check the the floor hasn't 'floated' over to one side to touch the wall - it can happen because of traffic over a period of time; try to nudge it back by very careful application of levers. Otherwise trim all egdes to give suitable gaps then put on the skirtings. Double check the room you've done - I'd be tempted to whip the skirtings off and do the above.

 

[WoodYouLike]

The main problem areas are between the living room floor and the hallway. I boarded continuously from one room to another so I cannot lift these middle boards at all.

Agree with MattySupra and Symptons, but also would like to point out the above practice of continuously fitting from one room into another, specially when hallways are concerned.
A Hallway has a different 'climate' and the boards will react differently than the boards in the 'warmer' living room. The boards in the 'doorway' don't know which way to go: the climate in the hallway might tell them to expand, the living room dryer air-humidity tells them to shrink - yes, I like a bit of story telling
Hence the problem of 'shifting'.

We always recommend to treat every room separately and to use a threshold in between rooms. You can still 'align' the boards so it looks like it is continuously with a little careful planning and installing practice.

 

[big-all]

yep i agree with all the above especialy about checking the the floor is central and the gap is universal all the way round

as for moving the floor if its interlinked unless you have small areas void of any weight [furniture or sealent /mastic around doorframes or the like]your likly to cause dammage and possibly cause lifting around the areas through the doorways

you may find the only solution is to cut under the door and introduce an expansion gap under the threashold strip/strips

what length is your total long run!!!!!!

you need around 1mm per foot/4mm per m expansion what length is your run!!!!