[LorasBetty]

Our 11-year old home has 7 laminate flooring boards in the living/dining room that are bubbling. Across from the bubble issue is a soft spot (about 4' away). We're finding that the previous owner did a lot of DYI projects - huge projects - and took many shortcuts. He installed the flooring leading us to believe he may have eliminated the vapor barrier or whatever was supposed to be done to keep moisture away.

The water company came to check the meter with no water running inside the house and it was a negative reading. Of course we need to have the laminate replaced but are concerned what might be found under the existing floor. One flooring company wasn't concerned about it and another said to contact a leak detection company to determine the problem in advance. These leak detection companies either don't work inside the house or want $300+ to do a meter read. Meters are sold locally and range from $12-$300.

Have you had such a problem and what did you do? Thanks in advance for your input.

[villagetinker]

Since you are replacing the flooring, I would borrow a saw that will allow you to remove a small section of floor and take a look at what is below. Then a professional inspector could be contacted to see what is going on. Frank Dangelo (building inspector) is excellent and may be able to give you a hand in this matter. He normally advertises on this site.

I suspect you are correct, if the original home owner did not install the proper subflooring material you could be getting moisture from the concrete. Depending on the quality of the initial material a small amount of moisture could cause lots of problems. When I installed this type of flooring in our kitchen (up North), I took a sample and put it in water for over a week to see if there was any damage to the flooring material. I my case, no damage.

PS, I do have a suitable saw that I can lend you, or I could stop by, send me a PM if you would like to discuss further.

[LorasBetty]

Thanks Villagetinker! I may take you up on the offer of the saw but since this problem is in the middle of the two rooms I want to have new flooring ordered just in case there isn't a problem. I know, wishful thinking!!

[alanmcdonald]

I am a retiree from Shaw Floors. Laminate flooring can be damaged from moisture. It might not even be from below. A spill that was not quickly mopped up can seep through the seams and cause problems. I also agree that in this part of the country not having a vapor barrier is a likely cause. Use a quality installer when doing the replacement. Roberto's did our Shaw Epic engineered hardwood installation and used a vapor barrier.

[villagetinker]

Originally Posted by LorasBetty

Thanks Villagetinker! I may take you up on the offer of the saw but since this problem is in the middle of the two rooms I want to have new flooring ordered just in case there isn't a problem. I know, wishful thinking!!

I thought about this some more, if this is a simulated wood flooring, that looks like planks or boards, the saw I have should be able to cut out one plank/board, which could be temporarily glue back in place once you have determined the problem. If the floor looks like tile, then we could cut along the lines where the pieces mate up.

Whatever you do, make sure the replacement flooring is high quality, and see if you can get a scrape piece and do my water test.

[DangeloInspections]

Alan who posted above is the expert here, and I agree with him. Of course it is natural to think the worst, but you really will not know anything until the floor is removed.

I'll just add that a laminate floor is usually a "floating floor", installed with about a 1/4 inch gap all around the perimeter to allow for expansion, etc. This is typically covered with quarter round. If this was not done the floor could have expanded and "bubbled or buckled" in this area.

I inspected a home the other day, a new home with laminate flooring. The installer caulked all around it instead of letting it float. It looked horrible and the caulk had come away in many places due to the normal floor movement.

Once you have the new floor delivered, make sure you allow it to accumulate. When the old floor is removed check for a moisture barrier, making sure it is there and the seams overlapped and taped. If there are dips or birdbaths in the concrete slab level them with floor leveling compound. also make sure you use the correct padding, if it does not come with the floor itself.

I am not a floor expert, but have successfully installed laminate floors numerous times. I hope this helps.

Frank

[LuvtheVillages]

When we bought our new home in 2011, we found bubbles in the (builder-installed) laminate flooring in many places. So of course we called the Warranty Dept. They sent someone out who went around with a hammer and pounded all the bubbles down. Most have not returned. Perhaps it is just a very poor installation job.