Engineered Wood Flooring Lifting

Raised wood end joints.

Engineered wood flooring lifting. You can pick up cheap solid hardwood for the same price as budget friendly engineered flooring but it all depends on the species. If they were hammered or tapped together too tightly this can lead to a peaking and then a warping in the boards. And the problem is is the top 3 millimeter layer is starting to peel up on a few of the boards. Whenever exposed to moisture conditions engineered wood flooring expands and contracts vertically via the length of the plank this can result in end lifting at points where planks meet.

One negative to engineered wood flooring is its cost compared to domestic or common hardwood species. Wes posted on april 25 2013 posted in engineered floor fitting engineered wood flooring problem floors and poor installations sub floor preparation 15 comments. He noticed more lifting each month. Engineered wood flooring makes up more than half of the wood flooring sold and put to use in our industry.

When i say a few i ve got about eight pieces where the corners are starting to peel up and then about two pieces where the actual side is. Some of them were unavoidable. The lifting can also be due to something as simple as an uneven subfloor. There is a hollow sound when the end joints are tapped.

Although engineered wood flooring is more dimensionally stable than traditional hardwood it s important to remember that it still isn t tile. Even with engineered pieces the installation is still only as reliable as the subfloor underneath especially on concrete slabs. In that time i have seen all types of problems. A phenomenon called face checking he warns that poor substrate preparation is a sin.

Well i laid engineered hardwood down about just a little under 700 square feet. Engineered wood flooring inspection. It can also elevate the grain of the wood causing cracking of veneers. The stairway is ok.

A lift in your laminate floor can also be caused by the way the floor s planks or joints were fitted together upon installation. Secondly any damaged parts of the locking mechanism due to the lifting wouldn t be a problem. When hardwood flooring boards get wet they swell and because they are wedged tightly together and have nowhere to go the edges or middles lift and curl. Most of them were avoidable.

I have been inspecting flooring complaints for over 40 years. Having a general appreciation of features and limitations of both solid and engineered wood flooring is a necessity for those working in the world of wood floors specifically when it comes to understanding how they both perform. Even if a slab feels dry it should be given at least 30 60 days to. Engineered wood flooring cons.