hardboard bubble or buckle

[john1971]

Got some guys in to lay hardboard over some ropey floorboards. Since then they all seem to have buckled up or bubbled up. The guys are not interested. Any suggestions how to sort the problem?

Can I try putting more nails in? Can I lift the boards and reuse them? Should I use 6mm ply?

Any help much appreciated

Photos attached


[/img]

 

[big-all]

now thats interesting the bubbles carry on accross the joins in the boards regardless

i wonder if the differences in board heights is too great!!!!!

 

[mattysupra]

Big al, i think they are doing this in between the pins around the edge.
Anyway i would uplift the lot and put plywood down. This is one of the reasons why i always say use plywood!
You may be able to uplift the hardboard with out damage if they have used the wrong pins! Then you may be able to relay it.

 

[mattysupra]

on closer inspection of your pics it looks like they have used screws and the incorrect spacing. Either way its pretty much knackered now.

 

[big-all]

on closer inspection of your pics it looks like they have used screws and the incorrect spacing. Either way its pretty much knackered now.

you what i think it looks like matty because the wrinkles are diagonal!!!!

a badly fitted carpet where its not streched at right angle but diagonaly!!!!

i wonder if the room is slightly diamond shaped and they have instead of cutting a wedge off the edge have just forced it down and tryed to nail out the bumps!!!

 

[john1971]

Thaks for all your input. Looks like I may have to relay it.

Because there's a lot of it to lay I wondered if there was a nail gun that would fire in 20 or 25mm annular ring nails?

 

[mattysupra]

yes there is but very expensive and i would not know where you could hire one from. There is also a staple gun that fires divergent staples made for plywood and hardboard. Again i dont know where you can hire it from. Here is the company who make it. http://www.spotnails.co.uk/

 

[Petest67]

Hardboard should be damped down and allowed to dry fully before being laid otherwise it can expand and leave you with a floor like a mexican wave, as you've experienced. What floor covering are you planning on installing?
If carpet then you may be able to salvage the hardboard depending on how its been fixed down. If you can get it up relatively cleanly, damp it down, allow to dry then re-fit using divergent point staples and leave a 1mm gap between the edges.
As you paid someone to do the job they should come back and put it right but if they knew what they were doing the problem wouldn't have arisen.
Were they from a flooring company, general builders, chippy or handyman?
Unfortunately this highlights why each trade should stick to there own, but this doesn't mean that you won't get the problem even from people that are meant to know what they are doing, its pot luck sometimes unless you can get someone recommended or pay a premium price to a shop.
Good luck with whatever you try, but I'd be trying my hardest to get the installers back to put it right and if they refuse try a visit to citizens advice bureau, but if you paid them cash it will be your word against theirs.

I've just looked at your photos again - does the hardboard move up and down in areas where it looks like there are bubbles and can you hear "contact" with the boards underneath?
Some of the shapes are very regular which makes me think the hardboard is just following the shape of the floorboards and hardboard is too flexible to give you a completely smooth surface if your boards are very uneven.