Skirting boards coming off wall after laying laminate floor

[tyewbrey]

Hi,

I know similar questions have been asked to this but I would like a bit of advice on this particular issue.

About 3 months ago I laid a laminate floor in our dining room and hall, there is a concrete subfloor and I used the underlay with the built in damp proof membrane. The floor is fine but the skirting along two of the walls has started to come away from the wall slightly, causing the paint to crack. The cracks range from very thin hairline cracks to areas about 3mm wide, this has happened mainly on an outside wall that has the radiator on it, and also a couple of small areas on the other outside wall. Both outside walls have grass against them. The house is approx. 11 years old.

Why would this have happened after changing the floor, I am assuming it is something to do with moisture? But as I used the recommended underlay etc I am a bit miffed. Is it anything to worry about or can I just fill it in? There are no other obvious signs of damp and the skirting and wall feels completely dry.

Advice greatly appreciated.

Tom

 

[masona]

Not enough fixings in the skirting boards unless no-nails was used, either cut nails, masonary nails can do it but cut nails is better or screws/plugs specially with soft brickwork, if it's feel solid or no movement then fill the cracks with something like decorator caulk, can happen if it's a new floor screed not dried out yet.

 

[tyewbrey]

Thanks, I should have said that I did not remove and replace the skirting to fit the new floor, I used the edging scotia instead so that skirting has previously been there for 11 years or so with no movement. There is a bit of movement in it now it has moved and in most places I can push the skirting back so that it is flush to the wall again

 

[big-all]

is there still an expansion gap ??
my thoughts are the floor has expanded and pushing the bottom in and the top is pivoting out

 

[crazydaze]

is there still an expansion gap ??
my thoughts are the floor has expanded and pushing the bottom in and the top is pivoting out

^ this echo's my thoughts.

If the floor is causing the skirtings to move, it can only be down to the floor not having enough expansion and thus it's now pushing against the skirting. Not necersarily a fault of the flooring, more likely an installation issue at some point in the room. Only way to know is to take all the scotia off and identify how the floor is expanding, in what areas and in what direction.