Has anyone else had problems with laminate floor buckling in the recent
extremely hot weather? Despite supposedly adequate expansion gaps, some of
my flooring has risen, usually in the centre of rooms. Can I expect it to
contract again, as we move into winter? Or do I have to remove my skirting
boards and increase the edge-gaps? And if I do, will the flooring then lay
flat again?

Many thanks,

Bert
www.bertcoules.co.uk

Bert Coules wrote:
Has anyone else had problems with laminate floor buckling in the recent
extremely hot weather? Despite supposedly adequate expansion gaps, some of
my flooring has risen, usually in the centre of rooms. Can I expect it to
contract again, as we move into winter? Or do I have to remove my skirting
boards and increase the edge-gaps? And if I do, will the flooring then lay
flat again?

Are the gaps still there, or are you saying it's expanded so much as to
fill them? Is the floor floating enough that it can move to allow the
gaps to do their job?

Did you fill the gaps with cork?

Are you sure it's not getting damp from below and buckling? What is the
underlying floor?

MBQ

MBQ,

Thanks for the reply. Most of the edges are concealed by skirting, so it's
not possible to see if the expansion gaps have been totally used up. They
were fitted with cork strips, yes.

The underfloor is wooden floorboards, with the usual layer of 1/8" or so
fibre underlay.

Given the recent weather and the lack of any other source of dampness, I
don't believe the flooring has been dampened from the underside.

One factor I hadn't thought of is that there are one or two items of fitted
furniture, secured to the floorboards through the laminate. In retrospect,
it seems obvious that these have prevented the laminate moving freely. The
cure would seem to be cutting back the flooring so that it butts up against
the furniture (with a concealed expansion gap) rather than running
underneath it - rather a messy job, but one that should do the trick,
shouldn't it?

Bert
www.bertcoules.co.uk

Bert Coules wrote:
MBQ,

One factor I hadn't thought of is that there are one or two items of fitted
furniture, secured to the floorboards through the laminate. In retrospect,
it seems obvious that these have prevented the laminate moving freely. The
cure would seem to be cutting back the flooring so that it butts up against
the furniture (with a concealed expansion gap) rather than running
underneath it - rather a messy job, but one that should do the trick,
shouldn't it?

I would say that is definitely a problem.

A circular saw set to the right depth would allow you to make a cut-out
for the furniture but I think it would, as you say, be messy job unless
you can hide the gap.

You could try enlarging the holes in the laminate around the fixings
that go through to the floorboards so that there is room for the
laminate to move. The weight of the furniture may still prevent any
movement, however. You could then try putting the furniture on "feet"
that rest on the floorboards and take the weight off the laminate. The
feet would be just slightly thicker than the laminate with, say, 10mm
clearance to allow the laminate to move around them.

MBQ

MBQ,

I would say that is definitely a problem.

The more I think about, the more obvious it seems. I only wish it had been
obvious *before* I fitted the furniture.

Some items have removable (and non-load-bearing) plinths which means I might
be able to run the flooring just under them and then cut it off. Legs and
edges would still need to be visibly cut around, but this might be a neater
overall solution. I might even be able to cut back the flooring with the
furniture still in position, if I can find a suitably low-profile cutting
tool.

Bert
www.bertcoules.co.uk

On Tue, 13 Sep 2005 13:37:42 +0100, "Bert Coules"
scrawled:

I might even be able to cut back the flooring with the
furniture still in position, if I can find a suitably low-profile cutting
tool.

Without even seeing the job I can be fairly certain that a Fein
MultiMaster will do the job.
--
Stuart @ SJW Electrical

Please Reply to group

Lurch wrote:

Without even seeing the job I can be fairly certain that a Fein
MultiMaster will do the job.

Thanks for that. I've found a picture of one, but I'm not clear on exactly
where the cutting edge is: does it cut at the end of the handle, so to
speak, (like a chisel) or at ninety degrees to it? I would have about a six
inch vertical clearance above the floor to work in.

Bert
www.bertcoules.co.uk

OK, I've now found a better picture and I can see the general idea of the
tool. But I'm still not clear if the blade can be fitted sideways, to allow
cutting in a space with limited headroom.

Bert
www.bertcoules.co.uk

On Tue, 13 Sep 2005 15:24:36 +0100, "Bert Coules"
scrawled:

OK, I've now found a better picture and I can see the general idea of the
tool. But I'm still not clear if the blade can be fitted sideways, to allow
cutting in a space with limited headroom.

You can spin the blade round and cut at any angle to the body of the
machine so all you need space wise in a tight corner is roughly body
width of machine with a hand around it.
--
Stuart @ SJW Electrical

Please Reply to group

Stuart,

You can spin the blade round and cut at any angle to the body of the
machine so all you need space wise in a tight corner is roughly body
width of machine with a hand around it.

That's great, that's exactly the information I needed. It sounds like just
the tool for the job.

Many thanks,

Bert
www.bertcoules.co.uk

Has anyone else had problems with laminate floor buckling in the recent
extremely hot weather? Despite supposedly adequate expansion gaps, some
of
my flooring has risen, usually in the centre of rooms. Can I expect it to
contract again, as we move into winter? Or do I have to remove my
skirting
boards and increase the edge-gaps? And if I do, will the flooring then
lay
flat again?

Many thanks,

Bert

Could it be condensation in or on the relative cold floor? Maybe water
vapour is moving down through the laminate surface. Warm air holds more
moisture than cold. In hot weather, it's likely that there will be a
greater temperature difference between the floor and the air. Is it a solid
floor or suspended?
Just a thought
Regards
Tom

Tom, thanks for the reply. I hadn't thought of condensation, but I think
it's fairly unlikely: I'd have noticed, surely, if the top surface of the
laminate was getting damp? And even if it had, with glued joints not that
much moisture would penetrate through to the underside, I'd have thought.

The original floorboards are suspended over a sizeable (and pretty
well-ventilated) void: a three or four foot space above a concrete raft.

Bert
www.bertcoules.co.uk

Bert Coules wrote:
|| Despite supposedly adequate expansion
|| gaps, some of my flooring has risen, usually in the centre of rooms.


Aha! The old levitating laminate trick!

Dave

Dave,

Aha! The old levitating laminate trick!

I was copying off an old show of mine today, and to my shame found that I'd
rounded off a list of (entirely fictional) international companies with
"Copperfield Aviation" !

No-one seemed to notice at the time...

Bert
www.bertcoules.co.uk