Moisture seeps into the fiberboard core of a board and swells it causing the board to push against the one next to it and curl upward if you catch this problem quickly you might dodge a bullet and get away without the need for extensive repairs but that s rare.
Does humidity make a laminate floor buckle.
Laminate flooring is held together by a mechanical click system made out of wood products.
Hardwood floors buckle when the humidity levels in the lower levels of the house are too high in the crawlspace or basement explains the basement health association in the article negative effects on hardwood floors.
Humidity levels in your home are often affected by seasonal changes and laminate flooring responds by expanding and contracting.
Similar to hardwood flooring laminate flooring will swell up if exposed to extensive humidity levels which can create an uneven flooring surface.
In this case the moisture reached a level in the flooring that was sufficient to generate areas of buckling and splits in some boards.
If this wood dries out excessively the clicking system may fail.
When any wood floor buckles it s because the wood has picked up moisture.
When it is extraordinarily dry below 30 humidity the flooring shrinks pulling each plank away from the other.
However unlike wood it will also contract if it is exposed to extremely low levels of humidity which can expose gaps between individual flooring tiles and boards.
Laminate floors and humidity.
When planks expand the pressure between them increases and they can buckle or warp.
Buckling occurs when laminate flooring does not have enough space to contract and expand with temperature changes.
This additional moisture causes the wood to swell and yes break your heart.
Low humidity levels can also have an impact on your flooring.
Laminate contains resin and compressed layers of wood material so it does resist damage or buckling better than solid hardwood.
Laminate floors buckle because they get wet.
When the water that causes cupping comes from plumbing appliance or building leaks or from site grading problems it is often straightforward to diagnose the problem.
Preventing buckling is relatively simple if addressed during the floor s installation.
Since it is a floating floor the planks tend to contract when it is cool and expand when.
Because laminate is installed using a tongue in groove click to lock system this expansion can push the sides of each plank into each other causing them to buckle.
However if the laminate flooring is not installed properly or is exposed to moisture it may buckle.
