Vinyl plank flooring noise

3 years ago

So we just bought a house that a cheap vinyl plank floor installed over a concrete subfloor. It was "traffic master" brand, which appears to be Home Depot's low end rigid core vinyl plank product. When walking on the floor, it sounds like it "crackles" or like you're walking on plastic. It's the worst in the morning. The planks were installed directly on the concrete. Now, I know there are parts of the subfloor that aren't perfectly flat. Oddly enough, the floor doesn't really crackle as much in those areas as the areas that seem to be flat. There was no vapor barrier under the planks. We pulled it up in the kitchen and went back with a different product that seems to be a better product. After a day I don't hear the same noise with the new product. I'd like to do the rest of the house in the same product, but I'm concerned that the noise will still be there. Any idea what causes the noise? Is it the cheap product? The subfloor? Even though it's all through the whole house that the noise is an issue (even where it's "flat"). Something else? Any insight would be appreciated, as I don't have flooring experience.

Featured Answer

SJ McCarthy

3 years ago

This is COMMON. The noisy crackles are so common (how common SJ?), they are SOOOO common we have multiple threads going on the same issue. The noise is WORSE in the morning and it is WORSE at the beginning of the floor's life (in the first 6 months) but then it settles down.

As far as we can make out, this is MOSTLY down to the cushion on the bottom of the plank. Yep. The squishy stuff that people believe is good for vinyl so they pay extra for the stuff. The squish is JUST ENOUGH to allow the plank to move (compress underfoot) to cause the click edge to rub against one another.

The ideal way to get rid of this noise: get rid of the underpad on vinyl. Or you can get rid of the click edge (glue down or loose lay) Or stop using vinyl all together.

Vinyl is thin and the click edge is DELICATE (as you've just experienced). It is BRITTLE. And the click edge is the weakest link (again...you've just experienced this). This is why it is SOOOO important to have flat/level subfloor before laying vinyl.

Laminate can handle a bit of movement. It has a fibre board core that is THICKER and more ROBUST. The 'bounce' of laminate drives many people nuts but it is what keeps the floor fully functional over a wonky subfloor. Vinyl doesn't do that. It MOULDS itself to the subfloor. It flexes itself over every hump, bump and lump. That also causes issues with the very weak click edge.

The more humps, bumps, etc you have the MORE the vinyl click edge will rub against one another...and eventually break/walk itself apart.

If you MUST HAVE water proof floors for 100% of your home, then vinyl plank is one of your only options (cork flooring is another...but I digress). If you do NOT need water proof everywhere, then go ahead and find a HIGH END laminate for 95% of your home and then use either vinyl or ceramic/porcelain tile in the 5% where water proof is needed.

A HIGH END European Laminate (VOC content is SOOOOO low it is undetectable in CARB II testing) costs the same as mid-range vinyl! I kid you not.

Ask yourself: Do I NEED 100% water proof for 100% of my flooring???

Sort by:Oldest