My Laminate Floor Is Bowing

This is caused by water or other liquid seeping into the laminate flooring joints where the locking system connects.

My laminate floor is bowing.

They buckle or rise due to an increase in tension around the wall. The sellers without consulting us first decided that the problem was due to moisture absorbing into the slab so they replaced the gutter above the room re graded the side of the house installed a french drain and replaced the bowed floor boards. Screwing them down instead of attaching them to the boards on either side will help prevent new bowing in the same. Keeping your humidity within these levels ensures your floor is protected from too much moisture in the air.

After that you should see the laminate start to dry out and return to its normal size. The floor has expanded due to time or weather and there is no more room to expand. If water has soaked into your laminate flooring boards there is a. Our laminate flooring was put in and then the gap at the edge was covered with quarter round loosely nailed just above the flooring enough so that the flooring can move a little.

To fix a section of your floor that is bowing up you will need to decrease the tension among the boards. Remove the molding that surrounds the laminate using a hammer or screwdriver. Fit the new boards into place and screw them down into the floor joists below. Laminate floor must have a gap around the walls or it will bow from the hot and cold conditions of your house.

I d recommend an oscillating multifunction tool for this as it will let you cut very close to the wall unlike a circular saw. Alternately direct water damage can cause bubbling around the edges of the planks. If this does not work move on to the next step of the process. Subsequent to our going under contract on the house but prior to settlement there was a lot of rain and the laminate apparently started bowing.

Put several fans around the laminate floor and turn them on high. In this video i show you how to fix water damaged laminate flooring without replacing it. Leave the fans on and blowing on the laminate floor for about a day. Laminate flooring expands and contracts from the weather conditions.

Therefore it is crucial to take precautions to prevent buckling. To fix a section of your floor that is bowing up you will need to decrease the tension among the boards. Since it is a floating floor the planks tend to contract when it is cool and expand when it is warm. They buckle or rise due to an increase in tension around the wall.

Remove the molding that surrounds the laminate using a hammer or screwdriver. Step 2 creating an expansion gap. Before you begin you should figure out what the possible cause is for the buckling.