Help! solid oak flooring

[diynovicer]

We had 18mm thick varying lengths 15cm wide solid oak flooring fitted in November (B&Q).

The expansion gap left has gone completely in a couple of areas and a couple of the lengths of oak have come up (like a mountain) and now it seems to be spreading (and fast) and you can see the floor lift when you walk on it.

The fitter is no longer answering our calls and we don't have the foggiest what to do. Is there any advice you could give?

Its a really large area that it is fitted in (old living room and dining room and new extension) ( Had major problems with that too but thats a different story)

Should we create a new expansion gap and if so should it be everywhere?

I would be so grateful for any advice.

 

[big-all]

heeelllooo diynovicer and welcome

i assume its a floating floor[not nailed or glued underneath]!!!
in general wood expands only accross the grain so i am assuming you dont have an expansion gap [under door strip for example ] every 4m or so of around 8mm or so

 

[diynovicer]

Hi, its glued and an expansion gap was left all round but it has closed in some areas. What do we do now???????

 

[Bilioustrumpstaine]

Did B&Q arrange the fitting or did you buy the gear from them and then arrange the fitting yourself ?

 

[diynovicer]

Hi we bought from B&Q in the sale and then arranged a local fitter

 

[WoodYouLike]

Wood expanding in the season where it normally tends to shrink (Winter - heating seasons) is not a good sign!

Either the moist content of the wood when it was installed was way too low and the floor is now absorbing moist from its surroundings and acclimatising/expanding to its 'normal' level or you have a leak somewhere.

The extension, did that have a new concrete floor and so how long ago before installing the floor was that done?

 

[diynovicer]

Hi, It was a new concrete floor in the extension, but it was approximately 18 months old.

The fitter did use a damp meter to check for damp.

The wood we purchased from B&Q had been in the room for at least a year (still in the boxes)

 

[WoodYouLike]

Very strange then.
Can you check the humidity in your home and the moist in the wood? That might give you a clue on what's going on here.

 

[diynovicer]

Hi, we used a damp meter ourselves in the place where the wood has come unstuck from the floor and the noise it made was minimal, indicating very low moisture content. Are there any other tests we can do?