Hi all.
I am quite concerned about a problem I am having with the newly laid Karndean flooring in our kitchen.
First. Some background. We wanted to change our flooring from ceramic tiles, which were laid over a mat type heating system, which was laid over a concrete sub floor with DPM. The installers we had round all said we could leave the ceramic tiles in situ, they would put a self levelling compound over them and then contact glue the Karndean floor over.
The self levelling compound was laid the day before. On the following morning, I called the installers to say that the self levelling compound was still quite wet in some areas and asking if they wanted to come the net days instead. They replied to say they would bring some fans and that self levelling compound, as it was so thin, would dry sufficiently for the to go ahead and finish the job.
By the end of the day, all looked really nice and the job was completed. All was OK for a few days and then I began to notice that the butt ends of some of the ‘planks’ seemed to be ‘cupping upwards’ so to speak. I went around certain areas of the floor and tapped with the back of my fingernail and it was apparent that some of the ends weren’t adhered to the floor as the sound was ‘hollow’. I called back the installers and told them of the issues and initially they tried to explain that the planks may be slightly thicker at the ends. I queried it and also measured some spares I had and they were a uniform thickness. They also suggested that the planks were possibly 'installed tight between the skirting boards' and expanding a little and the butt joints were the only place the could ’lift’ a little.
The installers went off and returned last week and they lifted some of the planks. It was obvious that the adhesive hadn’t worked correctly as it was a sort of whitish colour and could be peeled off the back of the planks and levelling compound. At the stage, the installers said they were worried about there possibly being a damp problem and used a two prong device to show me that the damp reading was, according to them, high. I’m now left with a problem of a floor which I’m not happy with, a possible damp problem – although in all the years we have used the kitchen since the extension, we have never had an issue. I did remind them that the compound was wet the day they laid the floor but they said that it was a latex compound, not mixed with water, and was in a fine state for the flooring to be laid.
So, if you’ve got this far – thank you.
We agreed that we would wait for a couple of weeks to see if matters improved. I have considered using electronic hygrometers to assess the ‘damp problem’ as I can get the sub floor below the cabinets. I would like to hire these as opposed to but them as they seem very expensive. To the best of my knowledge there are no water pipes in the sub floor. Granted, the rising main comes up just inside the outer wall but that’s it. Central heating pipes and HW pipes come down in a void behind a cabinet, straight to the radiator and sink. I personally saw the DPM go in when the extension was built.
So. I’m completely stuck. I have an expensive floor that I’m not at all happy with. I feel the installers are coming up with all sorts of excuses (thickness/expansion etc). I’m also worried about the ‘damp problem’ – do these two pronged meters lie? Did they lay the flooring on an insufficiently dried out compound and that is the root cause of the problems?
I am going to ask them what compound they used and what adhesive too as I understand this may be important.
So. Sorry for this very long post but as you can see, I’m in quite a predicament. Would be grateful for any advice so I can try and resolve. Are there such things as ‘specialists’ in this field? Do Karndean have a technical department I could discuss with?
I am quite concerned about a problem I am having with the newly laid Karndean flooring in our kitchen.
First. Some background. We wanted to change our flooring from ceramic tiles, which were laid over a mat type heating system, which was laid over a concrete sub floor with DPM. The installers we had round all said we could leave the ceramic tiles in situ, they would put a self levelling compound over them and then contact glue the Karndean floor over.
The self levelling compound was laid the day before. On the following morning, I called the installers to say that the self levelling compound was still quite wet in some areas and asking if they wanted to come the net days instead. They replied to say they would bring some fans and that self levelling compound, as it was so thin, would dry sufficiently for the to go ahead and finish the job.
By the end of the day, all looked really nice and the job was completed. All was OK for a few days and then I began to notice that the butt ends of some of the ‘planks’ seemed to be ‘cupping upwards’ so to speak. I went around certain areas of the floor and tapped with the back of my fingernail and it was apparent that some of the ends weren’t adhered to the floor as the sound was ‘hollow’. I called back the installers and told them of the issues and initially they tried to explain that the planks may be slightly thicker at the ends. I queried it and also measured some spares I had and they were a uniform thickness. They also suggested that the planks were possibly 'installed tight between the skirting boards' and expanding a little and the butt joints were the only place the could ’lift’ a little.
The installers went off and returned last week and they lifted some of the planks. It was obvious that the adhesive hadn’t worked correctly as it was a sort of whitish colour and could be peeled off the back of the planks and levelling compound. At the stage, the installers said they were worried about there possibly being a damp problem and used a two prong device to show me that the damp reading was, according to them, high. I’m now left with a problem of a floor which I’m not happy with, a possible damp problem – although in all the years we have used the kitchen since the extension, we have never had an issue. I did remind them that the compound was wet the day they laid the floor but they said that it was a latex compound, not mixed with water, and was in a fine state for the flooring to be laid.
So, if you’ve got this far – thank you.
We agreed that we would wait for a couple of weeks to see if matters improved. I have considered using electronic hygrometers to assess the ‘damp problem’ as I can get the sub floor below the cabinets. I would like to hire these as opposed to but them as they seem very expensive. To the best of my knowledge there are no water pipes in the sub floor. Granted, the rising main comes up just inside the outer wall but that’s it. Central heating pipes and HW pipes come down in a void behind a cabinet, straight to the radiator and sink. I personally saw the DPM go in when the extension was built.
So. I’m completely stuck. I have an expensive floor that I’m not at all happy with. I feel the installers are coming up with all sorts of excuses (thickness/expansion etc). I’m also worried about the ‘damp problem’ – do these two pronged meters lie? Did they lay the flooring on an insufficiently dried out compound and that is the root cause of the problems?
I am going to ask them what compound they used and what adhesive too as I understand this may be important.
So. Sorry for this very long post but as you can see, I’m in quite a predicament. Would be grateful for any advice so I can try and resolve. Are there such things as ‘specialists’ in this field? Do Karndean have a technical department I could discuss with?
