I'm wondering whether it's necessary to leave an expansion gap at the edges of laminate flooring? I can understand the necessity for this with wood but what's to expand in laminate? Isn't it a totally synthetic product? I'd be pleased to hear from anyone who's dispensed with the gaps and had no problems. Many thanks.
laminate flooring. Is expansion gap necessary?
- Thread starter NickStone
- Start date
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no you dont need a gap if you can control humidity to with in 1 % and temperature to with in half a degree of where installed. Unless you install in a high tech lab you are going to need expansion! Put a piece of mdf in some water for an hour and see how much it grows. You need expansion because the moister content in the air you live in changes a lot. Some days can be dry and some wet. The laminate (mdf) will suck in the moister and grow when it has a chance. Also temperature can make a difference with flooring. If your fitting a small area say 2x2meters you can leave just a few mm of gap. The bigger the area the bigger the gap.
mattysupra said:
You got me worried there for a second matty
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The building I'm working in here has had laminate fitted in the upstairs offices. They must not have left any gap at all because in places the laminate has sprung up by a couple of inches! In other places, the edges have erupted. I'll see if I can take some pics tomorrow.
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