Laminate recently started creaking

[redwick]

I've had laminate flooring down for about 4 years giving no trouble and in the last few weeks several areas both downstairs and upstairs have started to creak and there appears to be movement along joints. The floor was laid on top of underlay. Downstairs the floor is concrete and the laminate is decent quality Pergo.

Is the problem tied in with temperature and humidity? Is the bonding agent breaking down? Is it going to be permanent? Some areas are not affected at all. Any advice dealing with the issue would be much appreciated.

 

[crazydaze]

The chances of there being a defect with the Pergo is very, very slim. Are their door profiles fitted in all the doorways? was the floor fitted on Pergo Whisperwalk? We're the door frames undercut to allow expansion? Under no circumstances should your Pergo planks have been installed using adhesives of any description so it won't be adhesives breaking down.

Is there any up/down movement in the floor where the creaks are? Is the movement enough for the joints to open and close?

Your floor is covered by Pergo's guarantees for at least 20 years, it could be lifetime on some ranges, Pergo will inspect this floor for you, who fitted it?

 

[crazydaze]

how do you clean the floor? Sweep clean? Hoover? Pergo Cleaner? Or floor Mop and water?

In 18 years of sellIng Pergo, I have never seen a Pergo floor fail through fault of manufacturer, I have seen plenty of issues with floors fitted DIY, by builders and by shoddy cheap fitters and 'carpenters' though. Answers to the above questions may shine a light on possible answers.

It is remotely possible that the damp climate and now extreme heat is having an effect on the floor, but again this is one of the less likely options.

 

[redwick]

pergo door profiles were fitted but not whisperwalk. There is some up and down movement of the planks in the worst areas although the joints don't open and close but they do "move" hence the creaking noise. Pergo have advised that the floor be inspected. I can't get my head around the fact that the floors have been good for four years. Cleaning has been by hoover only.

 

[crazydaze]

Let Pergo have a look and see what they say, the floor is designed to move, but it should move 'as one' if the joints flex enough for the gaps to open and close, it suggests that the subfloor is not level enough. Any idea what underlay was used? You may be lucky in that the floor should be able to be lifted, the floors sorted, and then re-installed, ideally on Whisperwalk if it's only fitted on on the thin foam style underlay. If expansion is an issue, again it's possible things can be rectified. Pergo will be able to tell you if the floor has been correctly installed with the correct expansion gaps at the door frames, with the correct joint spacing and with the correct floor prep, underlay and tolerances. Who fitted the floor? It's not unusual to have some movement on a wood subfloor, it's more unusual on a concrete subfloor unless the subfloor was not level enough before the floor was fitted (both installation errors, not product faults)

 

[crazydaze]

If it had been one area, moisture would be the more likely culprit but over two separate areas, I would suspect an issue with Installation technique and/or subfloor levels. The floor is strong, it's common for this type of issue to occur a while after fitting, eventually the floor is going to stop coping under the pressure.

 

[redwick]

Don't think it's actual moisture as it's occuring both upstairs and downstairs. Could it be explained by the properties of the underlay changing, either expanding or shrinking? The concrete floor downstairs wasn't really perfect anyway but the installation seemed OK and until now there haven't been any problems.

 

[crazydaze]

Almost certainly subfloor issues but the underlay and product will support the floor to some degree for some while until it starts to weaken/give with time. As you say, Moisture is unlikely in this case due to the separate areas experiencing issues.

Some under lays will cope much better with uneven surfaces than others, the fibreboard Whisperwalk style underlays and Timbermate underlays are the best, the foam underlays give the least support and don't cope with uneven subfloors so well.