When it comes to flooring, laminate is not particularly prone to failure or damage. There are, however, various ways that a laminate floor can warp, and various reasons as to why. Here, we'll take a look at the phenomenon referred to as peaking. A laminate floor that is peaking will seem to be rising, as if there is something underneath it. The effect is, honestly, sort of disturbing. Many folks will think that something is wrong with their foundation, or that water has somehow gotten underneath their laminate floor, but that's rarely the case.
The Causes Of Peaking
There are a few different reasons that your laminated floor might begin peaking. It's very important to know why this is happening before you begin trying to fix things. Don't just assume that something that caused someone else laminate floors to peak is the reason yours is. Making this kind of assumption can cause you to waste a lot of time and money.
Lack Of Expansion Space Is A Top Cause Of Peaking
Everything around us expands and shrinks, and your laminate flooring is no exception. For this reason, laminated floors should always have the appropriate amount of space at their edges, before the molding. If there is no space, the planks will instead push up against one another. Once there is enough pressure, the planks will begin to rise. Although often minor at first, if this is ignored for a long enough time, a floor can develop a hump or hill.
Peaking Can Be Caused By Fixed Moldings
Even if there is room to expand, your laminated flooring cannot take advantage of it if the moldings cannot move. This can sometimes be a nightmare to track down if the original installer was not consistent. Since laminate flooring is intended to be floating, which means not attached to either the moldings or the sub-floor, any solid point can cause an issue. Amateur installers will occasionally attach the laminate floor to molding to keep it from moving during install, or simply because they don't know any better.
The Length Of The Boards Can Cause Peaking
This is usually the least likely issue, and does not pertain to all laminate flooring manufacturers. Having one board that's too long will net you the same result as not having enough expansion room. If there is no single plank that's longer than recommended by the manufacturer, then this issue is easily avoided. However, if you didn't do the install, you may not know who the manufacturer is. For the most part, unless your issue is in a long hallway or you have an exceptionally large home with runs of longer than 40 feet, you can probably ignore this possibility. That is, however, unless you can't find any other places, in which case you might get stuck pulling planks and looking for manufacturer markings. - 29851
The Causes Of Peaking
There are a few different reasons that your laminated floor might begin peaking. It's very important to know why this is happening before you begin trying to fix things. Don't just assume that something that caused someone else laminate floors to peak is the reason yours is. Making this kind of assumption can cause you to waste a lot of time and money.
Lack Of Expansion Space Is A Top Cause Of Peaking
Everything around us expands and shrinks, and your laminate flooring is no exception. For this reason, laminated floors should always have the appropriate amount of space at their edges, before the molding. If there is no space, the planks will instead push up against one another. Once there is enough pressure, the planks will begin to rise. Although often minor at first, if this is ignored for a long enough time, a floor can develop a hump or hill.
Peaking Can Be Caused By Fixed Moldings
Even if there is room to expand, your laminated flooring cannot take advantage of it if the moldings cannot move. This can sometimes be a nightmare to track down if the original installer was not consistent. Since laminate flooring is intended to be floating, which means not attached to either the moldings or the sub-floor, any solid point can cause an issue. Amateur installers will occasionally attach the laminate floor to molding to keep it from moving during install, or simply because they don't know any better.
The Length Of The Boards Can Cause Peaking
This is usually the least likely issue, and does not pertain to all laminate flooring manufacturers. Having one board that's too long will net you the same result as not having enough expansion room. If there is no single plank that's longer than recommended by the manufacturer, then this issue is easily avoided. However, if you didn't do the install, you may not know who the manufacturer is. For the most part, unless your issue is in a long hallway or you have an exceptionally large home with runs of longer than 40 feet, you can probably ignore this possibility. That is, however, unless you can't find any other places, in which case you might get stuck pulling planks and looking for manufacturer markings. - 29851
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