Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - Advice needed!!
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Mud
01-23-05, 03:49 PM
Hello all~
Thank goodness for boards like these. I am horrified at the moment, we just finished installing about 800 sq ft of 8mm laminate flooring in our basement. We have a walk out and are making a Granny suite for my 95yr old aunt. Where we purchased the flooring we were told to use a vapour barrier + laminate foam and then the floor. We opt for the more expensive and bought the foam, vapour barrier and a heat exchange?(apparently helps the floor take on the temperature of the room instead of the cement) . So, we put down the foam vapour barrier and then the laminate. NO plywood we did this right on the cement. Now a neighbour thought it looked great and headed to a different store to make the same purchase and they told them they don't advise laminate on cement as it causes condensation and causes mold growth quickly. I am so worried after hearing this as we have 4 children, 2 of which have mold allergies, let alone the 95yr old that will be living there. Any comments to this is appreciated. Thanks..L
Thank goodness for boards like these. I am horrified at the moment, we just finished installing about 800 sq ft of 8mm laminate flooring in our basement. We have a walk out and are making a Granny suite for my 95yr old aunt. Where we purchased the flooring we were told to use a vapour barrier + laminate foam and then the floor. We opt for the more expensive and bought the foam, vapour barrier and a heat exchange?(apparently helps the floor take on the temperature of the room instead of the cement) . So, we put down the foam vapour barrier and then the laminate. NO plywood we did this right on the cement. Now a neighbour thought it looked great and headed to a different store to make the same purchase and they told them they don't advise laminate on cement as it causes condensation and causes mold growth quickly. I am so worried after hearing this as we have 4 children, 2 of which have mold allergies, let alone the 95yr old that will be living there. Any comments to this is appreciated. Thanks..L
bvanscoy678
01-23-05, 05:02 PM
You were given bad advice. Laminate flooring is perfectly ok on cement as long as you meet the manufacture's recomendations (moisture content of cement, substrate prepartion (leveling) and moisture barrier). Double check your products information just to be sure, but your floor should be fine.
Mud
01-23-05, 05:45 PM
Thanks for the reply....hmmmm moisture content of cement? how do you know this(sorry woman here) yes we did use a good barrier, as for level!! After the floor was laid we found one spot that flexes. manufacturer suggested overlapping foam 8" ? We did about 4 and wonder if this is why we have a flex area! Thanks again....The rugs we used to have down there would get damp on a really humid day but the humidfier would dry it up in no time...maybe I should leave one on in summer. I live in Ontario with cold cold winters and wood heat so no moisture at all then. Should we have checked our moisture content and how? L
Mud
01-23-05, 05:52 PM
Sorry ....forgot to mention, when I bought this flooring, I told them it was on concrete and may be a little uneven and they told me that was the joy of floating floor as it moved to the imperfections....YIKEs. Also can't find a thing on the paper wrapped around the flooring about moisture content or leveling, for that matter I can't find the name of the company that made it either!!!!
Guess I should have taken someone with a little experience, Ya think!! L.
Guess I should have taken someone with a little experience, Ya think!! L.
Carpets Done Wright
01-23-05, 07:51 PM
In a basement, High moisture vapor emission levels are always higher then on and above grade installations.
Condensation is also called "dew point". With a wet cold slab of concrete, place a plastic moisture retarder(not barrier) and the top or laminate side is much warmer... Bingo swelled laminate. Total failure... Rip it out time!
It will blow off the floor before mold gets too bad underneath.
Now not all basements experience this, but the percentage is low, because someone knew about the concerns and corrected the high levels of vapor.
How long has your laminate been installed?
If you just overlapped 8" without taping or sealing the seam, you didn't properly install the moisture retarder in the first place.
Low spots in the concrete are taken care of by checking with a straight edge, and then filling so it is within an 1/8 of an inch in the length of a 6 foot straight edge.
This flexing spot might just be the start of buckling?? Lay a straight edge across the surface and see if it is rocking on the flexing spot a little.
Condensation is also called "dew point". With a wet cold slab of concrete, place a plastic moisture retarder(not barrier) and the top or laminate side is much warmer... Bingo swelled laminate. Total failure... Rip it out time!
It will blow off the floor before mold gets too bad underneath.
Now not all basements experience this, but the percentage is low, because someone knew about the concerns and corrected the high levels of vapor.
How long has your laminate been installed?
If you just overlapped 8" without taping or sealing the seam, you didn't properly install the moisture retarder in the first place.
Low spots in the concrete are taken care of by checking with a straight edge, and then filling so it is within an 1/8 of an inch in the length of a 6 foot straight edge.
This flexing spot might just be the start of buckling?? Lay a straight edge across the surface and see if it is rocking on the flexing spot a little.
Mud
01-24-05, 06:09 AM
Hi
Thanks for all the advice. And I was glad to hear the floor will pop before mould growth happens. Unfortunatly I was not advised to tape the barrier together (thinking about it makes sense though) so no I just overlaped it and taped it at the ends but not to each sheet together. Will this cause a huge problem? I had originally went to buy vinyl and these guys made this sound like a better solution(looks great) but they did not tell me all this.The area that is flexing is about a foot from the edge of the new floor so I guess if it buckles it will be easy enough to take up and repair(I hope). They actually told me not to worry about unevenness Duh! Should have found this board before I started. You asked when we put it down , just last weekend so it has only been down just over a week. I don't think we have much moisture as we have very dry cold winters here. Is the flooring so snug a dehumidfier would not be able to pull any moisture from underneath the flooring? When we lifted the old rugs there was no sign of previous moisture.
Thanks once again...L
Thanks for all the advice. And I was glad to hear the floor will pop before mould growth happens. Unfortunatly I was not advised to tape the barrier together (thinking about it makes sense though) so no I just overlaped it and taped it at the ends but not to each sheet together. Will this cause a huge problem? I had originally went to buy vinyl and these guys made this sound like a better solution(looks great) but they did not tell me all this.The area that is flexing is about a foot from the edge of the new floor so I guess if it buckles it will be easy enough to take up and repair(I hope). They actually told me not to worry about unevenness Duh! Should have found this board before I started. You asked when we put it down , just last weekend so it has only been down just over a week. I don't think we have much moisture as we have very dry cold winters here. Is the flooring so snug a dehumidfier would not be able to pull any moisture from underneath the flooring? When we lifted the old rugs there was no sign of previous moisture.
Thanks once again...L