tongues not going into the grooves

[simonmotorbike]

PROBLEM
I am putting down a laminate floor. Trying to. I have got as far as the second row of planks, and the tongues just wont go in the grooves. I am hitting them with ever increasing size of hammer, but no luck.

I have done this before, and it all went very well - I just can\\\'t see what is wrong.

DETAILS
The laminate is about three mil. of oak, with MDF underneath, going onto a level concrete floor with a foam underlay. It is the floating kind, with tongue and groove fixing. The tongues have a small blunt \\\"arrowhead\\\" which should be clicking into the groove. But they aint.

I am a little kit of wedges etc made for the purpose. And the planks have spent a good time in the room getting used to the conditions.

IDEA
Could it be that the humidity and heat of the moment (both are pretty high) is causing the tongues to expand? Thus stopping them fitting where they should?

I have noticed that the planks are less than flat - there\\\'s a noticable bowing to some. Again, this could be the humidity and heat? Would this be a factor in misaligning the tongues and grooves?

Any ideas?

Simon

[mattysupra]

it can be down to the humidity which in turn has made the wood take in to much moister but you wont know this unless you can take a moister reading of the wood. Which you need a wood species meter to test. I dought this is your problem tho. Is it a glue,lock or tap system? Which make of wood is it?

[WoodYouLike]

simonmotorbike wrote:

I have done this before, and it all went very well - I just can\\\'t see what is wrong.

Last time you might have had a better quality laminate? Half the work is in the quality you buy.

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[yandownie]

have you tried presenting the floorboards at about a 30 degree angle to the already laid ones and seeing if they click into the grooves that way ?

[big-all]

is it click type or glue type!!!

are you using the propper fitting block or a large enough off cut [if its glue type]to protect the edge whilst you tap it!!!

are as said above approaching at an angle with thr click type !!!

have you checked the grooves are clear !!!!

sometimes if you not carefull you may get the underlay trapped in the joint !!!

if you are finnishing up with uneven gapps you may need to adjust the packers against the wall to give you a strait edge

have you tried 2 planks from the same box[maybe another fresh box] to see if they go together!!!!

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[eclomaxkiwi]

Try rubbing the tongues with a candle. Good for sticky saws as well. Wax is a good lubricant.
Use a club hammer against a scrap piece of flooring.
It worked for me.

Best of luck

[eclomaxkiwi]

Make sure the planks are well supported against the skirting. If the skirting/wall is curved then the boards will bounce when hit. I use scraps of flooring not the cork nor the wedges or the skirting.

[Mark Elvin]

Hmm, tongue not going into groove....my wife would file for divorce!!!!