When Laminate Flooring Buckles

Water

• Laminate floors buckle most often because of moisture. High humidity sometimes lead to buckling, but leaks or floods where the floor is exposed to significant amounts of water for prolonged periods is most often the cause. This is why laminate floor manufacturers recommend that you avoid wet mopping laminate floors. If your laminate floors buckle, inspect the subfloor beneath. If it is wet, you may have a leaking pipe beneath the floor that needs repair.

Inferior Product

• Laminate flooring is available in thicknesses approximating between 1/4 and 1/2 inch. While thicker laminate flooring is typically more stable and less likely to buckle, that alone doesn’t mean the floor is high quality. In quality laminate flooring, you will find a layer of rigid material on the bottom of each plank. This is a pressure balancing layer that serves to equalize the pressure applied to the floor from above. Inferior or cheaply made laminate that doesn’t include this layer may buckle or warp easily. Quality flooring is also treated with water-repellents to aid in preventing swelling if excessive moisture becomes an issue. Without this treatment, moisture is able to get into the fibers and eventually the floor buckles.

Improper Installation

• Laminate plank flooring is often referred to as a floating floor because it is not fastened down in any way. It floats as a single unit to allow expansion and contraction with the changes in the room’s temperature and humidity levels. Nailing or gluing any part of the floor down can cause buckling later because the boards cannot move naturally as intended. When installed, a 1/2-inch gap should be present at all edges to prevent buckling from climate changes as well. Remove baseboards and trim to ensure the gap is present and reinstall to cover this gap once flooring is in place. Buckling may also be an indication the floor was not installed with a moisture barrier. Most laminate flooring is installed with a foam layer beneath. The foam creates a vapor barrier to prevent the laminate from touching the subfloor and protects it from moisture.

Repair and Prevention

• Although laminate damaged by leaks may be removed and replaced, when buckling occurs due to improper installation or an inferior material, replacing a few boards will not solve the problem. Often the floor will have to be pulled out and reinstalled properly to prevent future buckling. To prevent buckling, smooth dents and gaps in plywood or concrete subfloors with leveling compound before installation and lay a vapor barrier such as 6 mil plastic sheeting overlapped by 2 inches over the entire subfloor surface. Seal the seams with duct tape and allow the sheets to run about 3 inches longer on all sides so that they extend past the flooring. Remove excess that shows. When installing in kitchens and bathrooms, ensure the product you select is recommended for these rooms, which tend to have more moisture than other areas of your home.