Fix Lifting & Bouncing Laminate Flooring (Expansion Problem)

WOW! I was shocked to see that my floor started to lift and bounce drastically.

It happened only on the side of the room so it took some time to notice it when I walked there... You should see the video in order to understand how bad was the lifting and bouncing issue.

Fortunately, it's easy to fix it with some simple steps that I present in this Instructable and video.

Enjoy!

You're welcome to visit my YouTube Channel, and watch my additional different DIY & Woodworking projects.

Disclosure: The cover photo & photo in this introduction was edited in PhotoShop, in order to illustrate the lifting issue while walking on the floor, because it's hard to see it in still photo unlike in the Video.

Supplies

General List of tools I'm using - https://www.itzikdiy.com/tools-list?m=1

Tools in this Instructable:

Hammer
Chisel
Flat-head screwdriver
Oscillating Multi-Tool

Materials in this Instructable:

Hot glue gun
Silicone / Super 7
Acrylic sealant

Step 1: Why Such a Problem Occurs?

Laminate Flooring bouncing, lifting, separating or buckling problems, can occur from different reasons, for example:

1. Water damage, moisture under flooring etc.

2. Expansion gap issue - lack of proper expansion spacing (too small spaces between the floor and walls) - This was my case.

Step 2: Checking the Spaces Around the Floor

The first thing to check is the spaces around the floor near the walls.

Laminate floor requires an expansion gaps of about ~10mm, because the floor can expand and contract due to temperature and humidity changes.

So, I removed the wall skirting boards in 2 sides of the room, in order to check the spaces around the laminate floor.

I did it using a hammer, chisel and flat-head screwdriver.

Step 3: Too Small Spaces!

As you can see, there are places (mostly along this side of the floor) where the laminate floor is too close to the wall.

I order to fix that, it's required to cut and shorten the laminate boards around.

Step 4: Marking the Skirting Boards Line

I returned the skirting boards to their original place, and marked their outer line with a pencil.

This step isn't mandatory, but it should help knowing the position that the skirting boards covers the floor, to avoid cutting too much of the boards. (I'll call it the 'safe' line)

Step 5: Marking the Cutting Line

Now I took a laminate floor board, and used it to mark the cutting line. the boards thickness is about ~8mm which should be good enough for the spaces around.

Step 6: The Marked Lines

Here you can clearly see the lines I marked.

Step 7: The Cutting Tool

I borrowed an oscillating Multi-Tool from a friend in order to cut the floor.

This is one of the recommended ways to trim edges of boards which are already installed.

Step 8: Cutting the Boards

I turned the oscillating Multi-Tool on, and started cutting carefully along the cutting line near the wall, and removing the long cuted pieces.

Step 9: Cleaning the Leftovers

I used a vacuum cleaner and a screwdriver, to clean all the boards leftovers from the spaces.

Step 10: The New Spaces

These are the spaces after the cutting.

Since that the cutting line pencil marking was removed during the cutting, you can still see the skirting boards line that I marked before, as a "safe" line.

Step 11: Cutting the Boards in the Next Wall

I cut some of the boards on the opposite wall. In this wall there were some good spaces but also some places where the boards touched the wall, so I cut them.

Step 12: Initial Testing

Immediately after the cutting, I walked over the floor to see if there is an improvement.

There was already some improvement, but it's not final yet. Keep reading in the below steps...

Step 13: Cleaning the Skirting Boards

In order to install the skirting boards back to the walls, I cleaned the old glue & adhesive materials that were on it, using the chisel.

Step 14: Re-Installing the Skirting Boards

I used 3 materials for the installation of the boards:

Hot glue - For initial fast drying.
Silicone / Super 7 - For slow drying (Stronger adhesion).
Acrylic sealant - For top finishing.

I put some spots of Silicone / Super 7 along each board, and then I put some spots of hot glue, and attached the boards to the wall. I hold them for few seconds so the hot glue will get dried. Hot glue isn't a good gluing solution, so the Silicone / Super 7 will hold the boards better for the long term.

Note - At our apartment, the walls are made mostly from cement blocks & concrete walls, so I can't use nail gun to install them like in a drywall etc.

Step 15: Re-Installing the Skirting Boards 2

Step 16: Top Finishing

I used the Acrylic sealant to close the spaces on the top of the boards.

(After drying, you can finish with wall paint, if required).

Step 17: Done!

Everything is installed as before the fix.

Step 18: Testing the Fix

You should see the video below,in order to see the differences before and after the fix. watch it on the next step.

After a few days, there was a big improvement already, but it still wasn't perfect.

It can take some time for the floor to be flat again. Why? See extended explanation later below.

Note - Depending on your situation, and the damage to your floor, the result of the fix may be not satisfactory. In this case you can always replace the boards, as a last solution.

Step 19: The Video

You can watch the full repair process, in this video.

Let me know what do you think Thanks.

You're welcome to visit my YouTube Channel, and watch my additional different DIY & Woodworking projects.

Step 20: Why Does It Take Time to the Floor to Be Flat Again?

I'm not a laminate floor professional installer, but I'll try to explain it the way I understand it:

The floor was expanded do to temperature & humidity changes.
The expansion gaps aren't good enough so the floor boards are expanded against the walls until there is no more space.
The floor keeps expanding, but now it's starting to rise in different places. The laminate floor boards now bent and have lost their flat shape.
Now you make the fix that I did and cut the floor edges - the floor should have enough room in order to be flat again, but laminate floor material is usually HDF (like MDF), which is relatively stiff and is now "deformed". So, it may take time to be flat and get the original shape (and maybe in some bad cases not).
The laminate boards were warped for a long period due to their expansion and lifting, so after the fix it makes sense that they won't return to their original shape immediately.
It's not a soft material like a carpet for example, which will just will straighten up immediately...
In my case it took few weeks. I guess that it depends on the temperature & humidity in the room, how bad is the case on your floor, etc.

(If the issue occurs due to water damage, moisture under flooring etc. which is other case - the floor probably should be replaced).