new laminate flooring creaking - mysterious!

12 years ago

New 12mm armstrong illusions laminate just installed on concrete. Creaks EVERYWHERE.

Installers leveled the floor; floor looked very level to me while it was drying. Even if there are places that weren't leveled exactly right, that wouldn't explain why it everywhere else. Underlayment seems ok quality... 2mm green foam with foil moisture barrier. Foam feels stiff enough to me. Good ~1/4" gap everywhere.

Compared to my previous house where I put in laminate myself, this armstrong stuff doesn't "snap" together, it just kind of lays together with no wedging. Takes zero effort to take 2 pieces apart. Could that be the problem? That the flooring has a poor lock mechanism?

Trim not installed yet. I've only paid 30% so far. But I'm a pretty stand up guy and won't screw over the installer if the product I told them I wanted is junk.. what to do?

Thanks for help!

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Comments (9)

Floortech
12 years ago
It is a common issue with Armstrong. Change products. go to you tube and you'll will find some pretty graphic examples of the issue you are having. It is not an installer issue.
xanderak
Original Author
12 years ago
thanks for confirmation. I just found the other post. Looks like they made a bad batch in 2008, and another one came out this summer. =(

Here is a link that might be useful: the whole discussion
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My flooring does not sound hollow because I used a good underlayment underneath plus it is almost a 1/2" thick which makes it very sturdy. Now considering that it floats, I do have a few spots where it creaks a bit but that really doesn't bother me. If you buy a good quality laminate you shouldn't have chipping issues. Mine is 18" months old and I don't have a single chip. In fact, my husband dropped a ceramic plate on the floor the very day it was installed and there is only slight scratch. The only room I put laminate in that would be exposed to water was a half bath. The only way it gets wet is when our cat sits on the vanity, begs to have the sink filled, and then dips her paw in the water to drink and shakes her paw...lol. I wouldn't put laminate in a room where you would get enough water on it to cause it to be slippery. Tile can be slippery too if wet. I'm not sure what you mean by "very hard." It's actually TO ME about the same hardness as our vinyl floor on my feet. I can walk on both easily w/o socks or shoes and isn't brutally cold like tile. I have never regretted my decision. We picked one of the best products on the market and most people (including those in the building trades) think it's real wood. I actually enjoy telling them it's laminate because they are shocked due to their preconceived notions of how laminate should look. Good luck!
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How old is the laminate floor? Was there an underpad laid underneath before the laminate was installed? Are you on concrete slab or over wooden floor joists? You say the floor is continuous...do you have t-moldings in the doorways? It is possible (the laws of physics being what they are) the dolly they used to wheel the old tank out caused some compression to the UNDERPAD of the laminate. The 'crush weight' of the underpad is what you would be looking at (no one publishes this sort of thing...it simply isn't available to view). I doubt the laminate has been disturbed. I would give it a few weeks to sort itself out. Somethings take time to 'decompress'. We are also in a transitional season (spring and fall are the two seasons where we transition from expansion/contraction settings). The winter months see the floors contract (dry winter air causes things to dry out = contract). Spring is the season where the indoor situation changes to the summer 'expansion' time. The cracking/creaking you hear could also be part of that transition. When you add the 'crush weight' to the time of year, you might find yourself in a situation such as having a floor that feels bouncier + some noise creation. Do you hear the creaking more so in the mornings?
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vthornberrry21
12 years ago
I think the problem is with the lock and fold. The ends of the boards just lay on top of each other and move as you walk on it. I have a whole house full of this creaking stuff. It's horrible. I've had it over a year and it's still bad. If at all possible, get something else that locks together differently.
lmgreg
12 years ago
I know how annoying it is when you can't even have a conversation because the noise of the floor is great. We have the same problem with a locking type of flooring (Preverco engineered hardwood) and I had assumed that because it was locking and no glue was used, that makes it creak more (wood rubbing on wood). In our case, there are issues with the concrete subfloor level AND with too small of expansion gaps, so it might not be the floor's fault. But I did want to point out that you won't necessarily avoid it with something that locks.
xanderak
Original Author
12 years ago
Bad installation + loose lock = creaking
Bad installation + tight lock = creaking
Good installation + loose lock = creaking
Good installation + tight lock = no creaking

So lesson learned:
Before ordering a pallet of flooring, buy one box of the product & make sure the boards lock together tightly (takes effort to unlock them).
xanderak
Original Author
12 years ago
Installer ripped up flooring, relevelled subfloor, installed again. Still creaks and cracks. very poor locking mechanism.

Does anyone recommend for/against gluing? (between the joints, not to the subfloor)
ronaka
12 years ago
I think gluing could solve the problem. Floor squeaking is caused by relative movement of the boards in the vertical direction. The flexible underlay contributes to this movement. So the key is that all the boards under a foot step have to move up and down together, when the underlay gives.
aikenquilter
12 years ago
Look at all my posts, and videos.... We need to document every single person having these issues, and band together.....
HU-321313504
2 years ago
my laminate was installed 2 years ago in a new build and the whole house creaks. i have Richmond character laminate throughout the whole house.

new laminate flooring creaking - mysterious!

Comments (9)

Floortech

xanderak
Original Author

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new laminate flooring creaking - mysterious!

Comments (9)

Floortech

xanderakOriginal Author

Related Discussions

vthornberrry21

lmgreg

xanderakOriginal Author

xanderakOriginal Author

ronaka

aikenquilter

HU-321313504

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

xanderak
Original Author

xanderak
Original Author

xanderak
Original Author