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

Question

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?

Katerina Stepovikov · Answer

Something i need to know as well !!!!

Angela Herremans · Answer

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 · Answer

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! :-)

Ginne · Answer

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

Janet Pizaro · Answer

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.

Sue Rindflesch · Answer

I will guarantee they will deny doing the damage! Good Luck.

Janet Pizaro · Answer

just a thought I would take pictures so you have proof of the damage.

Carol Fredette · Answer

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.

Angel · Answer

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.

Pat · Answer

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.

Dee · Answer

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.

Asko, the big Finn · Answer

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.

Debbie Jackson · Answer

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 · Answer

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 · Answer

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 · Answer

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!

Cathy Soukup · Answer

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.

Debbie Jackson · Answer

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 · Answer

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 · Answer

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 · Answer

Laminate flooring does not like moisture.  I would never put it in a kitchen or a bath, or even an entry.

Cindie · Answer

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 · Answer

@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 · Answer

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 · Answer

@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!

SIJUhsdiuyegfuishbcfuswyefc · Answer

Sure, this is happening to our quality US products
Ask Obama he has all of the answers..

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

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