Asked on Aug 26, 2015

Laminate flooring is curling up at the seams can it be repaired easily

Cindie
by Cindie
Contractors were working on my home during the winter and tracked in water. They didn't wipe it up and it laid on the laminate flooring. I had not yet moved into the home and was not there to dry the floor. Now the seams flute upward and trip you as you walk. Is there an easy solution without tearing it up and relaying it?
  26 answers
  • Katerina Stepovikov Katerina Stepovikov on Aug 27, 2015
    Something i need to know as well !!!!
  • Angela Herremans Angela Herremans on Aug 27, 2015
    If it was not that long ago you should contact the people who laid it in the first place and get them to come out and fix their stuff up.... If not get a heat gun. And run it along the seams and heat up the glue that was used and press back into place if you have some pavers laying around use them to weight it down as the glue cools down and this should stick it back in place... The other option is to check with the H/Store and see what they have in contact adhesives and then reapply the adhesive and with he pavers as weights to hold it down while drying. A picture of the problem would help to find a solution to your problem as this would give us an idea of how bad it the problem is and how best to solve it :-) But I hope that one of the above solutions will help :-)
  • Jennie Herrick Jennie Herrick on Aug 27, 2015
    Angela gave you the exact answer that I was going to give you as well. If the adhesive is still present on the bottom side of the planks, the heat gun and pavers sitting on a towel to prevent scratching SHOULD be all you need. However, if the adhesive is no longer sticky or has a lot of dirt or grit in it, putting some contact adhesive on the underside with a tooth pick or Popsicle stick to prevent from getting the adhesive all over your floors, then pressing down with a paver on a towel should work. The trick either way you choose is to leave the pavers alone for a minimum of 12 hours but preferably 24 hours to make sure the adhesive has had time to cure and the problem has had time to resolve itself. I hope my two cents worth of information helps you out! Good luck! :-)
    • See 2 previous
    • Cindie Cindie on Aug 28, 2015
      @Jennie Herrick Thank you Jennie for the input. I got some glue today and I am planning on trying things this weekend when I can get a helper. At least I have wonderful feed back and ideas to try. I hope they work.
  • Ginne Ginne on Aug 27, 2015
    first I think I would contact the workers who did the flooring, if that doesn't work, I know they sell a spray adhesive for flooring you can try that
    • Cindie Cindie on Aug 27, 2015
      @Ginne another good thought. The fact that the company who did the original installation of the floor is unknown to me and the jerks that caused the problem have skipped town tells me a great deal. It is good to know about the spray adhesive. Thank you for the input.
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Aug 27, 2015
    You will probably have to have the laminate reinstalled.There are adhesives available but I dont think this would be anything but a temporary fix. I would call the contractors back in and insist they repair or replace the floor.
    • Cindie Cindie on Aug 28, 2015
      @Janet Pizaro I would call the contractors, but they already skipped town. I am going to try and repair it this weekend. I will let everyone know the results. Thank you for your thoughts.
  • Sue Rindflesch Sue Rindflesch on Aug 27, 2015
    I will guarantee they will deny doing the damage! Good Luck.
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Aug 27, 2015
    just a thought I would take pictures so you have proof of the damage.
    • Cindie Cindie on Aug 27, 2015
      @Janet Pizaro I took pictures with my camera but I couldn't get them off the camera. I am still getting used to my new computer and then windows 10 came along and here we go again. Can't live with them, can't live without them. Thank you Janet.
  • Carol Fredette Carol Fredette on Aug 27, 2015
    If the floor is not under warranty then you will need to repair. it isn't the other contractors fault that the floor is defective. A little water should never cause a floor to raise up. Contact the floor mfg and let them know the floor is defective and they may fix it. Or just glue it back in place and hope it doesn't happen to the rest of the floor.
    • Cindie Cindie on Aug 27, 2015
      @Carol Fredette Unfortunately, I don't have a clue about where the flooring was purchased or who the manufacturer was. Apparently, the water was over a period of 6 weeks. It covers an area of 9' x 8'. It is in the "mud" room which is a pass through room from the back door to the kitchen and gets quite a bit of traffic since the 1/2 bath is also located in this area, although it is a separate space with in the mud room.
  • Angel Angel on Aug 27, 2015
    If you decide to glue, I would first heat up the laminate a little with a hairdryer for a few minutes to get it nice and pliable. Then (assuming you've made sure the subflooring is clean and reprimed) go ahead and apply the adhesive then set something heavy and flat over the seam. You might use a piece of furniture or some weightlifting plates, something like that and leave it overnite. Best of luck to you.
    • Cindie Cindie on Aug 27, 2015
      @Angel Thank you Angel. I have 2 hair dryers and a heat gun. I guess I can't do any more damage and it just might work. Thanks for the thoughts.
  • Pat Pat on Aug 27, 2015
    We have laminate flooring....have had it 10 years. That said, if your floor is still in warranty, call the one who installed it or the manufacturer. If that fails, then I would talk to the workers who left the wet water on the floors....they should repair the floor. I say repair but I think you will have to reinstall the part of the floor that is turning up. So 1st. manufacturer, 2nd one who laid it, and 3rd...workmen who left the water on the floor. Good luck.
    • Cindie Cindie on Aug 27, 2015
      @Pat I wish I could contact them but they would probably deny it, yet again. One day when I came to see how things were coming along in March of that year, before I moved into the house in April of 2011, I hit the fan and cleaned up the mess. I suspect that the situation had been going on since mid February of 2011 when they started the work for the way it looked at the time. My now deceased mother had hired these guys. She was helping me, and I appreciated her love and help. the problem was that I wasn't living in the house due to no water or furniture until my things arrived from another state. If I had, I would probably fired then and then sued them.
  • Dee Dee on Aug 27, 2015
    Not all laminate is glued down. Mine is tongue and groove. No glue was used at all. I would call the manufacturer, because it is most likely under warranty. And I would also let the company know who installed the floor of the problem. One of those should be able to help you.
    • Cindie Cindie on Aug 27, 2015
      @Dee As simple as your suggestion is, I haven't tried it yet. My brain fog got in the way. Thank you Dee. I shall call the companies who handle these products.
  • Asko, the big Finn Asko, the big Finn on Aug 27, 2015
    Hi Cindi! You did not tell, if the floor is floating click-it type. If it is, another problem might be that the boards were not taken out and let sit for 24 hours. Most likely, they were installed too tight against the walls to be able to expand. The floor dude should correct the problem.
    • Cindie Cindie on Aug 27, 2015
      @Asko, the big Finn I would love to sue the contractors who did this mess, but thanks to all of your wonderful suggestions, I am going to follow through and try your suggestions. Thank you for your input.
  • Debbie Jackson Debbie Jackson on Aug 27, 2015
    Get a clothe iron out with alum foil heat the lamated to make it plyable then pull it back and add the adhisive put down waxed paper then set books on it for 24 hours
    • Cindie Cindie on Aug 27, 2015
      @Debbie Jackson A very good suggestion Debbie. I shall try it. I hope it works since I don't look forward to having to replace the floor.
  • Cindie Cindie on Aug 27, 2015
    Thank you Angela. Your suggestions are very good and I will try them. The flooring was here when I purchased the home. The contractors were doing the work on the home so I could move in. This problem has gotten worse over the past 4 years and I am now in a position to address it. The contractors have skipped town. I live alone and have health challenges so it wasn't a priority until now. I took photos but was not able to get them off of my camera. Sorry.
  • Cindie Cindie on Aug 27, 2015
    I have had wonderful answers from all of you and I am very grateful. Now I shall try them and see what sticks. (hopefully the wood laminate, hehehe)
  • Jill Jill on Aug 27, 2015
    Most likely, the company that made the laminate flooring won't do anything for you. They will consider it your problem because it was caused by someone who brought the water in that did the damage. Despite what Debbie said, I don't think that you can "repair" the laminate that way, if fact you might damage it more.. Laminated flooring is made of a hard resin epoxy that is melded with the other layers. Sometimes there is a small amount of real wood layered inside, sometimes not, it just paper like material. The risk of heating it will also cause issues, such a releasing toxic fumes and damaging the laminate. Nor can it be sanded or scraped to fix the problem. You can try, but if you do, you might end up with a bigger problem then when you started out. If you do decide to try something like this, try it on a sample of the flooring that hopefully you have left over. Since the contractor or business that did the damage has taken off for whatever reason, and being that it was during the course of the work you definitely aren't going to get anywhere with them. Not to mention the fact that it's been so long since you have done anything about it. Your best bet to is contact your homeowners insurance company and see if you can file a claim with them. Again the issue of waiting too long might come up. Best of luck!
    • Cindie Cindie on Aug 28, 2015
      @Jill Very good points Jill, especially since I have Multiple Sensitivity Illness to chemicals of all types. I hadn't thought about that possibility. I am going to try and fix it this weekend when I can get a helper and we can work at it together. I tried the insurance avenue when it happened 4 years ago and they wouldn't do anything since my deductible and the replacement were within a few dollars of each other. Yet another lesson learned. An expensive one.
  • Cathy Soukup Cathy Soukup on Aug 27, 2015
    That's some pretty cheap laminate, though. I've got laminate in 3 rooms of my house, including the kitchen and basement, and never had this problem. A third room, a breezeway, flooded last year and it took us several weeks before we could get to removing it; the only problem was that the underlayment was soaked and had to be removed as it was smelly. I would have put the laminate right back in the same room except that I had to break a few edge pieces to get it up - so I'm saving it for another, smaller room instead. No curling, and the pieces happily snap back together. I'd check with the manufacturer or whoever laid it to begin with, especially if you paid to have it done.
    • See 2 previous
    • Cathy Soukup Cathy Soukup on Aug 28, 2015
      Let me clarify that when I say "cheap" I mean poorly made. One measure that helps is the thickness of the plank, minus the backing. A 12 mm plank with a 2 mm backing is going to be most durable. Another measure is the "AC" number - the higher it is, the better. Ours are generally 8-10 mm, with 2mm backing, but I don't know the AC number; they've held up great with 2 big dogs, many teenagers, grandkids, and family functions. We love laminate, and I'm planning to finish the whole first floor with it!
  • Debbie Jackson Debbie Jackson on Aug 27, 2015
    My floor was coming up around my shower and I tried this just make sure to take a small brush and get any crumbs our from under the lamanted floor first then i used caulk at the edges to seal it that was 4 years ago and its still holding so good luck and let me know how it works for you..use your finger to pat the caucking in a fine line
  • Debbie Jackson Debbie Jackson on Aug 27, 2015
    When you put the glue down use a rolling pins to get all the air bubbles out and lay it flat then the waxed paper and books
    • Cindie Cindie on Aug 28, 2015
      @Debbie Jackson Very good point Debbie. I'll do that.
  • Cindie Cindie on Aug 28, 2015
    I believe you Bonnie. I can see the cardboard through the parts that are flipping up with the very thin laminate that is on top. I will see if it is too far gone this weekend or if I relay the floor with something else. I agree with you about solid hardwood. I may pull up this mess and find real wood underneath. That would be a happy solution all the way around. We'll see.
  • Sherri Taylor Sherri Taylor on Aug 28, 2015
    Laminate flooring does not like moisture. I would never put it in a kitchen or a bath, or even an entry.
    • Cindie Cindie on Aug 28, 2015
      @Sherri Taylor Well, at least not soaking it and leaving it for a period of weeks. Unfortunately I inherited the floor along with the purchase of the rest of the house. After this weekend and trying everyone's suggestions, I'll see what happens next.
  • Cindie Cindie on Aug 30, 2015
    I tried the heat approach on the floor today. I used some of my many books to hold it down. In another area, I used glue and books. We'll see what happens on Monday when I look at things.
  • Jennie Herrick Jennie Herrick on Aug 30, 2015
    @Cindie I have my fingers and toes crossed for you! I can only imagine how aggravating this situation has become. Here's hoping it works out! Good Luck!
  • Cindie Cindie on Aug 30, 2015
    Thank you for your encouragement. I just took a peek at both areas and there was no change. I guess 4 years is too long a time period to use these techniques effectively. Maybe a little more time under the books will help, but I guess it is going to pull up bad boards time for the next move.
  • Jennie Herrick Jennie Herrick on Aug 31, 2015
    @Cindie Well poo! At least you gave it a try, which is more than what some people would do. Our Country has become so "disposable" that everyone just jumps right to throwing stuff away before they try to figure out if that thing can be fixed somehow first. So give yourself a pat on the back anyway!
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