Laminate creaks

The creak that appeared immediately after laying the laminate is a natural phenomenon. Especially if the lamellas were installed without prior acclimatization at the installation site - the coating adapts to the microclimate of the room for about 2-5 days. But extraneous sounds after 1-2 weeks of operation are a reason to beware. Perhaps they indicate the mistakes made in preparation for installation.

Squeak Reasons

If the choice of the laminate was made on a tight budget (a beautiful, but cheap and not certified product was chosen), then it is likely that the creak in the apartment is due to the incorrect geometry of the lamellas themselves - a characteristic feature for low-grade products. If you have a spare "board", you need to study it. Poor quality is indicated by:

  • dirty green or dark brown color of the HDF plate (the thickest inner layer);
  • a simple castle with a single rounded groove;
  • lack of information on the wrong side of the article, line, date and country of production.

If you find a combination of such signs, you can immediately prepare for a complete replacement of the flooring with a better one. It is impossible to eliminate the creak of a curved laminate.

In the same case, when it comes to products of trusted brands, extraneous sounds may indicate:

  • insufficient compensation clearances;
  • roughness or destruction of the rough floor;
  • the presence of debris under the laminate;
  • too thick substrate.

Each of the reasons is accompanied by a number of concomitant symptoms of why the laminate creaks, on which the methods for solving the problem depend.

Compensation Clearance

The fluctuation in temperature and humidity in the room is accompanied by the expansion and contraction of the laminate. When laying the coating, this is taken into account - a gap is left between the edges of the lamellas and the wall, the size of which depends on the parameters of the room: from 1 cm for a small area to 3 cm for a large area, over 20 m2.

Compensation clearance is left between the laminate and all “touching” surfaces. This means that it must also be between the cover and the elements protruding from the wall (the base of the arch, column, riser, etc.) since even a point of contact leads to a creak.

If the requirement is not met, the swollen lamellas begin to press against each other, the pressure on the locks increases. Usually this is manifested by crackling in the absence of load and a distinctive soundtrack when walking on the surface. In addition to the squeak, it is possible to observe the “ejection” of the laminate - the appearance of swelling along a long joint. If you do not take the necessary measures, locks can break in this place, which will lead to the formation of an ugly gap right in the middle of the room. What can be done:

  • all furniture is taken out of the room;
  • baseboards are dismantled;
  • visual assessment of wall gaps;
  • if there is contact between the laminate and the vertical surface, it is necessary to trim the ends of the coating at a distance of 1.5 - 2 cm from it;
  • if there is bloating, “oppression” is installed on top of it - you can even use a simple board weighted with bricks (it is important to evenly distribute the weight of the load);
  • After the control examination, the skirting gaps are set back.

After 48 hours, the laminate will return to a condition suitable for further use. This is indicated by the absence of "waves" and squeaking.

Base defect

If extraneous sounds do not disappear a week after installation of the coating, this may indicate poor preparation of the subfloor. The fact is that after the finish screed, the base should be perfectly even. Maximum tolerance: on 2 m2 no more than 2 mm deviations from the general horizontal level. If this rule is not observed, the “playing” lamella will transfer the load to neighboring locks, which leads to a creak.

In a situation where only certain coating elements are "moaning", you can solve the problem without removing the laminate. In order to get rid of extraneous sounds, it is enough to drill a through hole in the problem area and through it using a syringe to inject PVA glue under the lamella (how much will fit). After 2 days, during which it is impossible to step on the defective area, the composition will dry out and the creak will disappear. All that remains is to mask the hole with a special grout for the laminate or putty on wood of the corresponding shade.

If there are several "noisy" zones, then it will not be possible to fully solve the problem without dismantling the laminate. The only temporary way out of the situation is to treat the compounds with molten paraffin or wax. To do this, you need a flexible spatula or an old plastic card, with which the applied substance is rubbed into the joint. But this method is applicable only when the creaking is not accompanied by a crunching or noticeable bending of the lamella.

How to avoid problems

Most of the reasons that require parsing the laminate to eliminate them are related to errors made during the installation of the coating. It:

  • poor preparation of the ground on which unevenness remains;
  • neglect of the finish, which in addition to leveling the subfloor also prevents its destruction;
  • unscrupulous cleaning of the room before laying the laminate;
  • wrong choice of substrate, the thickness of which should not exceed 3 mm.

Sand and small building debris give rise to a characteristic crunch. If the sound appeared immediately after installation of the coating, then most likely there was garbage on the draft floor. When he appeared after prolonged use, this may indicate the beginning of the destruction of the base. In this case, 1-2 small problem areas are processed by PVA through drilled holes. But multiple or large areas will require prior removal of the lamellas.

The thick substrate is unable to compensate for uneven floors and remove the “soundtrack”. But under the influence of a short-term load, it misses, recovering after a decrease in pressure. The result is a vertical deformation of the lamellas and a creak at each step. It will be possible to completely eliminate it only after dismantling the laminate and replacing the substrate.

Watch the video: How to Fix Squeaky Laminate Flooring Yourself MrYoucandoityourself (March 2024).

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