Will laminate wood flooring do this?

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

This is a rental home and the pictures are from the rental car flooring. We're renting while we look for our next home. It's possible we'll build a home with a tract builder and the options they offer are Armstrong LVP or laminate.
The floors, in the rental and in these photos, are Bruce's engineered hardwood floor, mico edge and micro ends (I know this because the homeowner left all the building information in a drawer).
They were installed in 2013.What is causing this separation? The very large separation along the length of the board was here when we arrived.
3rd photo: We've noticed separation on the short edge along a particular length of flooring right in front of the sliding glass doors.
The reason why we're asking this is because we're building a home, while renting, and the tract builder offers Armstrong LVP or laminate. We're leaning into laminate flooring because we have large pieces of antique furniture and two dogs.
Is this separation something I would expect from laminate flooring?

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Comments (7)

millworkman
3 years ago
No pictures showing.
SJ McCarthy
3 years ago
Number one: the first photo is shrinkage due to LOW humidity levels. The gap has opened up to SHOW YOU the innards of the wood floor. That's because wood SHRINKS when it gets TOO DRY and it 'puffs' when it gets damp/humid. We call this 'hydroscopic' (hydro = water; scopic = move).

Winter is the SHRINKAGE time of year. The humidity in the air (outside) is low to begin with. Then the indoor HEATING cause the humidity to evaporate = gets drier still. Go ahead and measure the indoor humidity. We call this Relative Humidity (RH).

Wood MUST HAVE RH 45% or so. If you cannot measure it purchase a hygrometer at home depot = $35. This is the PERFECT time to figure this stuff out. Are you building in the same area? Good! If the RENTAL has low humidity then your NEW HOME will have low humidity.

Good! Now is the PERFECT TIME to PAY MORE for your HVAC system. Yep. Pay more. You will ADD IN a whole home humidity control system. You will pay a few thousand more for the upgrade to ensure you can add humidity at the touch of a button (we call this a Humidistat). If summer is SUPER HUMID then you need a DEHUMIDIFIER as well. If you get normal humidity (55% - 70%) in summer time then a regular A/C addition will do just fine for the summer humidity. If you are in NYC or Montreal, Toronto, Halifax, Baltimore, etc, you will need MORE than the A/C whole home unit to control humidity.

Perfect. Now that you understand humidity, you can move on to what your new home can expect. Vinyl (LVP) loves a CONTROLLED home. It HATES temperature swings and humidity swings. It hates direct sunlight. Which means you need to look at your WINDOWS. You want to ensure you windows have UV protection on them...I like to see 55 - 70% UV block. That is enough to keep vinyl happy. If not, you might get floors that warp and separate.

Now...onto laminate. It has the same 'hate' for humidity issues as wood and vinyl. It still needs humidity control. But...it is better equipped to deal with it. It doesn't care about direct sunlight. But laminate cannot be used in kitchens NOR bathrooms nor entranceways that are 'wet'.

You are welcome to use laminate throughout your home...but you will want SOMETHING ELSE in kitchens, baths and entrances.

There you have it. Vinyl (petroleum product that warps with heat/sunlight) and laminate (puffs when it gets wet) in a nut shell.
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Um, no. There's no lost security deposit here for numerous reasons, but most importantly because there's nothing to "fess up to", I didn't damage anything. I only cleaned the area that the sun hits, and it looks exactly the same as the rest of the floor that I didn't touch with the steam mop. It's just not shiny when the sun hits it and I'd like it to be. There is ZERO wrong with the floor and in regular light (without direct sunlight) it looks nice and has a faint shine. I would like it to be shiny in the sun the way it was when the cleaning company left. Not to mention, if cleaning the new floor was such a specific issue I should be given instructions from my building manager when the floor was laid down. I wasn't given any info at all on its care and maintenance so I couldn't be blamed even if I did damage it with the steam mop. I have a unique case because of the sun. Without the sun the floors look fine. I happen to have an extremely bright, well lit living room with north, south and west facing windows / balcony doors that allow an enormous amount of direct sun, which acts like a spotlight showing up every smudge or speck of dust. To combat that I'd like it to be shiny. So thanks, but not very helpful. I don't need to know what I shouldn't do, I posted because I'd like suggestions on what to do, ie what will make / keep a wood laminate floor in an extremely bright room looking polished.
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Have you considered white cabinets with gray countertops, in the lighter range? You chose gray paint, so that might be a good option, and if it's too much of a good thing, repainting the walls is easy. The floors in this pic might not be as dark as yours, but I think it would work. google search-gray countertops I usually look at everything from a DIY, budget-conscious point of view. With that in mind, you might check out resurfacing the tile tops with a concrete product, and then paint the cabinets, even though you don't like the wood grain. With a little extra effort you can make them look smoother, or as I did, embrace the grain. This will cost only a few hundred dollars, and will give you more time to consider a full remodel. If you sell the house before remodeling, the new owner can gut it and put in his own idea of a dream kitchen. Concrete over existing counters Painting oak cabinets
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OK...so the question is: Can I do it? Yes of course you can. I think the FULL question is: Can I do it without looking BAD? Yes. You can. It is fully acceptable to have different flooring options/colours/presentations on different levels. A basement floor is often quite different to the upper/living/public levels. There is no problem with a wood-look product (faux) in the basement (regardless whether it be laminate or vinyl planks) when real wood is in the living areas. The separation of the stairs is what allows you to do this. The DOOR allows even greater freedom. So long as the PUBLIC space is continuous (visually) then you can do whatever you want in the basement.
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Jen K (7b, 8a)
Original Author
3 years ago
Jen K (7b, 8a)
Original Author
3 years ago
@sj mccarthy - thank you for so much for that block of instruction. I checked the rental home AC system, Honeywell, it looks like they didn't pay for that upgrade.

We're building 15 minutes away from this location so we should have the same humidity issue.

There will be a more windows (in the home we will build) so ask about the UV protection, if not tomorrow during contract signing but at the design center.

It's possible that I didn't hear everything the salesman was saying about the floor options since he's not in the design center so I might ask for the full list of options tomorrow. perhaps we'll get lucky and can put tile in - our preference.
3onthetree
3 years ago
Maybe some switching of terms from you - mccarthy didn't explicitly explain the non-vinyls for you -

LVP: fancier modern version similar to the 12" square vinyl floor tile you have seen in days of yore, just thicker, in long strips, and easier to install, with nicer colors and patterns (hence the "luxury" moniker), starts about $2/sf.

Laminate: basically a photograph mounted to a thicker paper product backing. Cheap product, cheap looks, starts around $0.70/sf.

Engineered hardwood: slice a thin veneer sheet off a tree and glue it to plywood. Very stable for wood, starts round $3/sf up to $15ish/sf.

"Hardwood": cut a tree, nail strips of it down and stain it, starts maybe $3ish up to $$$$$.
SJ McCarthy
3 years ago
As for tile, if your builder is 'offering' laminate or vinyl for your flooring, that means they will offer about $5/sf for the material + labour. Tile is going to cost you EXTRA. Like $10-$12/sf EXTRA.

Yes...that includes the $5/sf allowance already built into your flooring quote. This is a big upgrade. Tile takes ++ work and ++ skill and ++ prep to get in place. Builders (who use 'design centers) do not have the time, the skilled man power nor the money to add in tile.

Be prepared for a big up charge (it could look SOOOO BIG that it makes you wonder if they do NOT want to do it....it's that type of up charge). And be prepared for a poor installation. I know. I know. Everyone thinks I'm a Debbie Downer....but I'm 'right' more than I'm wrong. Which is sadder? Being a Debbie Downer and being right, or being 'hopeful' and always feeling disappointed.

I could be wrong about the time (would take 1-2 weeks LONGER for the install) or the skill level (could look really good) or the 'want' for the Builder to make money on this build (s/he might want that extra $10K in upcharges...it might be part of their 'deal'). I could be wrong with all of it.

But I doubt it.

Just be prepared for an extra $10/sf. If you have 1000sf of tile, you will pay an extra $10,000 more for your home.
Jen K (7b, 8a)
Original Author
3 years ago
@sj mccarthy - the tile experience you outline is probably true but wasn't for us in our last build at all. We'll go with laminate or LVP

Will laminate wood flooring do this?

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millworkman

SJ McCarthy

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Will laminate wood flooring do this?

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millworkman

SJ McCarthy

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