Does Humidity Make A Laminate Floor Buckle

Laminate contains resin and compressed layers of wood material so it does resist damage or buckling better than solid hardwood.

Does humidity make a laminate floor buckle.

When it is extraordinarily dry below 30 humidity the flooring shrinks pulling each plank away from the other. However if the laminate flooring is not installed properly or is exposed to moisture it may buckle. Laminate floors buckle because they get wet. This additional moisture causes the wood to swell and yes break your heart.

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. 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. 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.

Preventing buckling is relatively simple if addressed during the floor s installation. 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. Low humidity levels can also have an impact on your flooring. When any wood floor buckles it s because the wood has picked up moisture.

When planks expand the pressure between them increases and they can buckle or warp. 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. Laminate flooring is made to last however sometimes you can run into issues and one of the most common issues is buckling laminate flooring. If this wood dries out excessively the clicking system may fail.

Laminate floors and humidity. 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. In this case the moisture reached a level in the flooring that was sufficient to generate areas of buckling and splits in some boards. Buckling occurs when laminate flooring does not have enough space to contract and expand with temperature changes.

Laminate flooring is held together by a mechanical click system made out of wood products.