Laminate Floor Pops

[Manofsteele02]

Hello,

I recently had Bentley Countryside 12mm laminate flooring installed through my downstairs. We replaced a much cheaper shaw product 8mm laminate.

Since the new flooring has been installed when you walk on it, it makes little popping noises and its getting worse. The noise kinda sounds like when your ankle or wrist pop, its not loud enough to really bother you until it happens every step you take, even my 3year old daughter walking across the floor can make it happen.

I have made sure that there is a 10mm gap all around the room for the floor expansion but it has continued to happen. The old flooring never did this. Can you please provide any kind of ideas to why this is happening. I am not opposed to pulling it all up and replacing underlay or anything I just want it to stop! Please help me obiwan your my only hope

 

[Ernesto]

When ever I get an inspection claim and the issue is similar to yours its locked in somewhere. Did you check under and around the door casings and under the transition strips? Are the door casings undercut properly with expansion under them? You can check using a dental pick inserted under them by sliding it under then turning the pick down and sliding back an forth to check for space.

 

[Manofsteele02]

I will double check tonight, when I visually check the expansion gaps it looks like their is space but I will try the dentil pick idea! If this is the case and I run around the house with a saw and fix them...how long would it take for the pops to go away?

I have tomorrow off and am willing to try a million things as its hard for me to get time off. I appreciate your reply Ernesto!!

When ever I get an inspection claim and the issue is similar to yours its locked in somewhere. Did you check under and around the door casings and under the transition strips? Are the door casings undercut properly with expansion under them? You can check using a dental pick inserted under them by sliding it under then turning the pick down and sliding back an forth to check for space.

 

[Ernesto]

Fixing them is another problem if under the casing then you have to pull out the planks to get an undercut saw in there. The transitions may get damaged and have to be replaced. Out here installers going over a slab will simply use construction adhesive to glue them down instead of using the snap tracks - using to much glue that fills the gap under the transition strip.
Then some Chinese junky transition strips dont even have the required space to begine with.
That said floaters move as a unit and can easily fill a gap that was there before if the rh changes enough.

 

[Ernesto]

Also you didnt address whether or not the casings were undercut or simply Handyman cut up to net and caulked. I see that alot. And thats not proper installation.