Flooring has a 'bump'

ravravrav

We have had laminate flooring put in and only a few months on it has suddenly raised somewhere in the middle of room. So when you put your foot on it the boards depress and when you take your foot off they come up again.

We are pretty sure there isn't any water underneath as the floor under is solid anyway. We think it's to do with damp or the weather causing the boards to expand. Some people have mentioned that maybe the boards weren't fitted properly (ie. leave about 10mm from the walls under the beading).

I've been to the shop where we got these done and the guy has said he will get the fitter to come round but no show. These have cost us a lot of money and we're disappointed that they don't look very good now. What can I do?

sare_2

My BIL had exactly the same problem occur with his laminate flooring. It was caused by not leaving a big enough expansion gap.

lowdownbug

As above, it sounds as though the installer hasn't allowed enough of an expansion gap around the edges, the floor has expanded due to changing humidity (it doesn't actually need to get "wet" for this to happen) and has bulged in the middle.

The flooring should tuck under the skirting boards around the edges, and then there should be a gap between the edge and the wall. In your case this gap would need to be increased, if the flooring is of the click together type with no glue, it might be possible to remove the boards around the edges, trim a bit off, and refit them. Otherwise it may require removal of the skirting so the edges can be trimmed in-situ.

BTW, did they deliver the flooring in advance to allow it to acclimatise to your house, or did they just bring it round and lay it straight away? Some manufacturers claim this is unnecessary with laminate flooring and only applies to solid wood, but my son who is a flooring professional always insists on at least a few days acclimatising with even the best laminate products.

I would insist that the company does it for you as they should, and give them a reasonable time to do it, or tell them you intend to get someone else to do it and will be sending them the bill. Try to take photos for evidence if you go down this route, lay a straight edge across the bulge so you can see it clearly in the photos.

ravravrav

lowdownbug wrote: »

As above, it sounds as though the installer hasn't allowed enough of an expansion gap around the edges, the floor has expanded due to changing humidity (it doesn't actually need to get "wet" for this to happen) and has bulged in the middle.

The flooring should tuck under the skirting boards around the edges, and then there should be a gap between the edge and the wall. In your case this gap would need to be increased, if the flooring is of the click together type with no glue, it might be possible to remove the boards around the edges, trim a bit off, and refit them. Otherwise it may require removal of the skirting so the edges can be trimmed in-situ.

BTW, did they deliver the flooring in advance to allow it to acclimatise to your house, or did they just bring it round and lay it straight away? Some manufacturers claim this is unnecessary with laminate flooring and only applies to solid wood, but my son who is a flooring professional always insists on at least a few days acclimatising with even the best laminate products.

I would insist that the company does it for you as they should, and give them a reasonable time to do it, or tell them you intend to get someone else to do it and will be sending them the bill. Try to take photos for evidence if you go down this route, lay a straight edge across the bulge so you can see it clearly in the photos.

As a consumer what can I do if the company refuses to help?

lowdownbug

ravravrav wrote: »

As a consumer what can I do if the company refuses to help?

Small Claims Court? Their work must carry some sort of warranty, and if they refuse to fix a problem covered by it they don't really have a leg to stand on in court. I've found in the past that companies usually cave in the moment you mention SCC, they rely on people who don't know their rights.

Out of interest, have you tried Googling the name of the company to see if any other customers have had problems with them?

vegasvisitor

I also think it sounds like expansion gap. We bought ours from B&Q for our rather long kitchen running into a conservatory at the end. The lifting occurred at the doorway which would have been the weak point because of the narrow doorway.

Our joiner was a bit concerned that water may have got in when we called him, but when he arrived he lifted the edging in the conservatory and realised it had expanded more than expected along the length of the room. He lifted the edging and used some sort of saw to shave a fraction off, before replacing the edging. We decided to get some new edging at the same time since the B&Q one was supposedly self stick and was rubbish.

I'm sure it will be fine, but they're probably just out doing paid jobs and not getting around to coming out to you. Have you tried calling and being a bit firmer with them? ie tell them it's unacceptable that they didn't show up and that they need to set a new appointment and keep to it? Try to get an early morning appointment, that way they don't get sidetracked with a job that takes too long and not make it to you at the end of the day.

Hope you get it sorted, I'm sure it's an easy fix once they come out.

ravravrav

I have spoken to the company in question and they have told me this the fitters will call me when they are free. Unfortunately I can't wait forever - so I have to be firmer. I don't really want to jump in all guns blazing and threaten to take them to a SCC so hopefully they will get back to me pretty soon!