Recent advances have led to an extremely strong, durable and affordable flooring solution. It now mimics solid wood to the point that it can be hard to tell the difference between a top of the range and its solid wood cousins!
Have a look at our huge range of top notch laminate floors.
But, from time to time it has been known to lift, this can happen right after the floor has been laid or even after several years of use. This can be down to incorrect installation or inadequate care and maintenance. It might also begin to squeak or creak, but there are ways and means to take care of this too, don’t worry. If you’re issue is more to do with strange noises than a lifting floor, you can either hire the Ghostbusters, or check out our blog on My Floors Are Creaking, What Do I Do?
So, Why Is My Floor Lifting?
There are a number of reasons as to why your floor might be lifting. A creak can soon turn into a lift if not attended to, so don’t let those noises go unchecked. If you’re already in the process of lift off, here’s a few reasons why it might be happening.
- Uneven Subfloors – First things first, before you install is to make sure you check your subfloor to ensure that it is good to go. An uneven subfloor will ultimately result in it becoming uneven, which will cause stress on the boards, making them move and lift. This isn’t the kind of stress that can be solved by a glass of wine or a long warm bath, either. If your subfloor is only slightly uneven, a quality underlay could be used to level out the subfloor and reduce minor imperfections, but of course, you’ll have to lift the floor at this point to fix the issue.
- Lack of Expansion Gaps – an expansion gap is the small gap which is left around the perimeter of the room when installing. This allows the floor to expand and contract freely in response to moisture or temperature change without damaging the floor. A lack of an adequate expansion gap will mean that moisture or temperate changes could cause the floor to swell beyond the expansion room you’ve left for it. That’ll lead to lift off before long.
- Moisture – Wood floor products are responsive to moisture change and will expand when exposed to excess moisture levels. This will cause the planks to swell and buckle. This can be prevented by correctly installing a Damp Proof Membrane underlay, ensure that the subfloor is dry and cleaning up any spillages as and when they happen. If you’ve got a concrete subfloor, you’ll need a damp proof membrane on your underlay, as concrete readily leaks moisture and will cause swelling.
- Incorrect Usage – always ensure that you check that the laminate which you are buying is suitable for the intended use. For example, not all is suitable for use in bathrooms and kitchens due to high moisture levels. Others are not suitable for use over underfloor heating so it is always recommended that you check this out beforehand with the supplier.
If you’re worried about moisture ahead of an installation, you should consider getting a water resistant product. Our Hydro Guard range is suitable for use in bathrooms and kitchens.
One of the top culprits of a floor lifting is excess water and moisture and no matter how careful you are, these are nigh on possible to avoid in a bathroom or kitchen.
Other Causes
It’s also possible that your fitter could be to blame. If this was an external party, you might want to consider that the installation was performed incorrectly. If it was installed by yourself or a friend or family member with no installation experience then there’s a chance you already know where the blame lies. Go and have a word with Uncle John, or with yourself.
Wipe that smug smile off your face, you.
Other than the reasons stated above, it could be lifting due to poor workmanship where the floor has not been installed correctly. Another issue could be the quality of the product. It’s ranked with an Abrasion Class (AC) rating depending on quality ranging from a poor AC1 to a high quality AC5 for commercial use. You’ll want to err on the side of AC4 or higher (AC3 is fine too depending on the traffic in the room) and avoid AC1 and AC2 rated floors. As with everything, you get what you pay for, and you don’t want to skimp on something as big as your brand new floor.
Here at Discount Flooring Depot we only stock and sell laminate with an AC3 rating or above, because we are the bees knees.