Laminate Floor Tightness Problems

Peaking

• Peaking is the term that describes laminate panels that start slowly overlapping each other, creating ridges in the floor. This occurs when the panels are installed too tightly. All laminate floors need some room to breathe, allowing for changes in air and moisture content as they settle into the climate of the house. When the floors are installed without necessary space, peaking occurs and ruins the look and feel of the floor.

Nailed-Down Moldings

• Tightness issues might also be caused by nailed-down moldings. A laminate floor is designed to float and is neither glued nor nailed, just locked together panel by panel. However, if the moldings at the edges of the floor are nailed down, this restricts the room that the laminate panels have to expand, even if the panels are positioned correctly compared to each other.

Buckling

• Buckling occurs when a laminate floor caves inward. The boards can also warp upward for the same reasons. Laminate panels are designed to fit snugly together, pressing against surrounding boards to keep the floating floor in place. But when the subfloor is not strong or rigid enough to deal with this problem, the boards can cave in.

Solutions

• If peaking is the issue, then the solution is generally easy. Laminate floating floors can be pried open and part of the paneling cut out, enough for the floor to expand properly and reduce the peaking. Moldings can be replaced if they are nailed down. Buckling, however, can only be fixed if the homeowner is willing to replace the subfloor itself.