Laminate Flooring Advice

5hpr

Hi there,

Had a Quick Step laminate floor installed at the weekend (12mm thick) with 2mm Quick Step underlay.

The floor is “floating” and new skirting was glued on top.

The job is very good and the floor feels great, however I noticed in the two door ways at opposite end of the room (where the laminate was started and finished) there is a bit of flex in the planks.  I wanted to know if this was normal?  

It’s a concrete subfloor that looked pretty flat and the installer was chiselling pieces of concrete away as he checked for imperfections by running his hand over the underlay.  I don’t think it’s an issue with the installer but rather the floor not being perfectly even from wall to wall even though it looks it).

It seems to be when the last plank goes on there is some slight tension raising it slightly and because there isn’t the weight of another plank to weigh it down (because it’s at the start / end) then there is a tiny bit of flex.

Asking for some advice.  If it will be okay I’ll leave it.  The rest of floor is great, it really just is the start and finish.  I pointed it out to the installer and he didn’t seem to thick it was too big a deal.

I noticed the prior underlay was 5mm thick polystyrene.  I have e just moved in and lifted this.

Many thanks!

FreeBear

A transition strip at the junction between the tiled & laminate surfaces will hold the planks down under the internal door. For the patio door, a scotia molding will do the job and also hide the small gap that should be there - Call the fitter back to resolve the issues.

sol2017

FreeBear said:

A transition strip at the junction between the tiled & laminate surfaces will hold the planks down under the internal door. For the patio door, a scotia molding will do the job and also hide the small gap that should be there - Call the fitter back to resolve the issues.

Quick Step have Incizo - bit dearer than your regular scotia or transition strip but perfect match for your flooring and looks very nice.

Jeepers_Creepers

2mm (or 3mm) underlay is normal for laminate - thicker stuff can cause issues.

The bits of concern are the ones where there's nothing holding the edges down. As said above, a decorative 'scotia or similar' beading along the patio doors should sort it. I'm about to do something similar with my new flooring, and I'm hoping that I can run a narrow strip of double-sided ('carpet') tape along one side of the beading and stick it to the bottom patio frame - you want the laminate itself to be able to move - expand and contract - under this, so don't stick it to BOTH surfaces!

And a transition strip will ditto the doorway issue. Surprised the fitter hasn't already done this, tho' - he fitted the skirting which is a much bigger job! 

5hpr

FreeBear said:

A transition strip at the junction between the tiled & laminate surfaces will hold the planks down under the internal door. For the patio door, a scotia molding will do the job and also hide the small gap that should be there - Call the fitter back to resolve the issues.

Jeepers_Creepers said:

2mm (or 3mm) underlay is normal for laminate - thicker stuff can cause issues.

The bits of concern are the ones where there's nothing holding the edges down. As said above, a decorative 'scotia or similar' beading along the patio doors should sort it. I'm about to do something similar with my new flooring, and I'm hoping that I can run a narrow strip of double-sided ('carpet') tape along one side of the beading and stick it to the bottom patio frame - you want the laminate itself to be able to move - expand and contract - under this, so don't stick it to BOTH surfaces!

And a transition strip will ditto the doorway issue. Surprised the fitter hasn't already done this, tho' - he fitted the skirting which is a much bigger job! 

sol2017 said:

FreeBear said:

A transition strip at the junction between the tiled & laminate surfaces will hold the planks down under the internal door. For the patio door, a scotia molding will do the job and also hide the small gap that should be there - Call the fitter back to resolve the issues.

Quick Step have Incizo - bit dearer than your regular scotia or transition strip but perfect match for your flooring and looks very nice.

Hi all, thanks for the advice.  I have an Incizo door bar but it's just effectively sitting on top with lots of no more nails.  It's not screwed down to apply the downward pressure, that say a foot would.

The underlay is the Quick Step Silent Walk, so very dense good stuff.

I am just worried about the long term impact of the movement on the floor.  When he was about 4/5 of the way through laying the floor I fit a plank and it locked in properly and again there was a slight angle on it.  It pushes down but then springs back up.  It's not until subsequent planks are laid that it has enough downward pressure to stay.  For the patio door I need a replacement PVC door profile thing, but again this is just going to get glued on and doesn't have the downward tension needed.

If it's a non issue and I'm just being picky, it's fine!   It is hard to notice underfoot.  When I stood in the hall and watched someone walk prior to the doorbar being installed it was noticable.

sol2017

Incizo has a base plate that should be fixed to the subfloor either with screws or adhesive. If the height is right then the door bar will sit firmly in place and hold the laminate board down as expected. (Well, at least it does with my floor. The plate screwed down though, I've got floorboards underneath.)

It does sound though that the subfloor wasn't even / flat enough so potentially that's the actual issue that needs addressing. 

Long term uneven floor can result in laminate locking mechanism failure and gaps appearing between the boards.

5hpr

Hi guys,

just to provide you with more info.  This is a final strip of laminate running along the patio door.  

I have posted pictures of it in its natural position and me applying considerable weight behind my hard.  It goes down maybe 2-3mm as hopefully you’ll be able to see from the picture.  If this is okay and unlikely to cause issues then that’s fine.

sol2017

What happens when you step on it? Does it click? Does it come back up? (I assume it does otherwise you wouldn't have asked)

From my very limited experience with quick step laminate - if it doesn't stay flat when clicked together then it's either because whatever is underneath is not flat or because something is wrong with the joint (some debris or damaged joint).

Nice floor!

5hpr

sol2017 said:

What happens when you step on it? Does it click? Does it come back up? (I assume it does otherwise you wouldn't have asked)

From my very limited experience with quick step laminate - if it doesn't stay flat when clicked together then it's either because whatever is underneath is not flat or because something is wrong with the joint (some debris or damaged joint).

Nice floor!

Thanks!

I should stress it is only the edges that have this issue.  When I step on it, it goes flat (maybe down 1-3mm) and what I would consider “normal”.  When I let it go, it raises slightly.  No clicking or other noises.  The floor sounds solid.

Hannimal

I don't have an answer and know nothing of it, but it looks pretty. Good choice!