GLUELESS LAMINATE FOOR - CRACKING/POPPING NOISE ON JOINTS

Hello All, I need some help and information please.
We recently had installed a 'new' type of glueless slate effect laminate bought from B&Q.The installation was on a new extension which is a kitchen/family room/utility/toliet, the floor is made of levelled concrete which was covered by a levelled asphalt making a very even surface. The underlay used was 3 mm also from B&Q recommended by them, the floor has an expansion gap all the way around the room, also the room was completely empty when installed. After installation we noticed that the floor made a crackling & popping sound when walked on, we presumed this was newness and the sound would go with time. It has been about 4 months now and the noise is worse than ever. We complained to B&Q who then sent to us an independent inspector out on their behalf, who is blaming the new kitchen being fitted on the top of it and having no door plates, even though the floor flows into the utility and toilet areas, and says its an installation issue. The joiner who installed the floor is experienced and has done approx. 30 floors previously and comes on a good recommendation. The tiles are new to B&Q and each individual tiles has a plastic strip running down the edge of the joint which enables the tile to be snapped in place with the ajoining tile and therefore requires no glue. The installer believes this is where the issue is as the joint keeps rubbing and causing the popping and crackling noise. Has anybody experienced this slate effect laminate before and had any issues with it?
I have searched the web and only seen good reviews so far but it is on their web site. I am desperate for help as the noise is driving me mad! Thanks

how long ago was the concrete laid

You seem to have satisfied all the basic tests - such as flatness, and water barrier sealant.

My guess and it is a guess - is that the floor was installed in cold weather and the noise is caused by the floor expanding in the warmer weather. The weight of the kitchen units might also be preventing certain areas from expanding.

Are any of the dimensions of the fitted floor greater than 8 metres in any direction?

big-all said:

how long ago was the concrete laid

Click to expand...

Good point! Is it still 1mm thickness per day curing/drying time?

units being fitted on the top of it and having no door plates

Click to expand...

Both of these are not advised with floating laminate floor systems and are likely to be against the recommended way to lay laminate floor.

It sounds like a expansion issue, through either lack of opportunity for the floor to expand and contract due to the above, or it's possible there is an issue with the subfloor not being fully dried before install, there could be an issue with moisture breaking the floor down a bit causing the crunching, it could be moisture contributing to expansion issues creating the noises, it could possibly be the subfloor not being cleaned well enough before install resulting with grit causing the noise.

Either way, no matter how well the joiner came recommended, you hav'nt been advised correctly regarding expansion gaps, possibilities and possible issues in doorways, and fitting the units on top of the floor is not likely to be advised in the fitting instructions, no matter how many previous floors he has fitted this way.

davelowe1977 said:

big-all said:

how long ago was the concrete laid

Click to expand...

Good point! Is it still 1mm thickness per day curing/drying time?

Click to expand...

4 weeks for every 1" of depth is the general rule,but that does depend on exactly how the slab was laid as I understand it.

Hello and thanks for your replies, this is a good start.

The concrete floor was laid at the beginning on the 14/01/11.

The ashphalt was laid in mid March (not quite sure when).

Before the laminate floor was fitted both my wife and I cleaned the ashphalt thoroughly.

The floor was then fitted the extension is in an L shape and attached to the back of our semi detached house.

When the floor was finished with nothing else in the room we noticed that the joints which clicked together had some play when standing on them and hence the cracking sound, this was before kitchen units were fitted later on in May.

I appreciate the points you make about the units and door plates but the noise started before the kitchen was fitted. When you walk on any of the joints the cracking sound can be heard and across the full floor it sounds like crisp packets underneath.

Thanks

An element of bounce is acceptable with a laminate floor is acceptable generally but shouldn't be enough for joints to open up when you walk on them, if the joints open visually then there is either an issue with the subfloor not being level enough, or the quality of the laminate joints are not of a high quality. You may be able to judge the floor level with a long straight edge laid accross the floor, if you have some thing 3 meters long that you can lay on the floor, that will give an indication as to wether the tiles are laying level or if there are peaks and valleys indicating unequal pressure on joints, the cause could be a number of things.

The only sure way to tell will probably be to lift an area of the floor, the problem is that now everything is fitted on top, remedial work or replacement work is going to be a nightmare, another reason not to install units etc over the top

I would say that if the joints of the tiles are tight and level with each other, you may have issues claiming the joints are faulty. Is it possible that the asphalt was tacky or has sweated under the underlay? I have heard Of people having issues with DPM sheeting and/or underlay 'clicking' where it moves slightly if the subfloor is tacky, I.e. When laid over bitumen covered subfloors.

Of course it may be that the tiles are really badly made/engineered and the joints are all failing.

it sounds like a fitting problem.

you mention about the click system having plastic in the butt end, '{this is a new system designed so thst you dont have to tap the butt end in, instead you push it down and it clicks into place.] The problem with this system is once its pushed into place you can't take the board out again without damaging the butt end, unless you use a special key designed to slide down the butt end and release the board {its usally supplied with the wood] If you don,t use the key and take a board out and put back in place it won't click in properly and cause a problem like your describing