3

I am in the market for some wood flooring and due to condo constraints I am forced to go with a floating floor. I am probably going with bamboo from Plyboo or Teragren. I am concerned about the warnings regarding moisture. I live in a 2nd story condo and I must float my floor.

CONS (pulled off a website) -Only suitable for indoor environments with very stable year-around humidity. Low-to-average dimensional stability leads to excessive shrinkage when humidity decreases by 15% or more -Maximum recommended runs if very stable humidity cannot be maintained: 15 ft across widths (tangentially) and 25 ft lengthwise (longitudinally)*

I have been reading horror stories about floors cupping and buckling that I wish to avoid. I was thinking since my floor is not glued at all, just click&lock that this issue is pretty much avoided since the entire floor slab can move as unit over the sub-flooring.

Is that a fair statement? I am not sure what stable moisture environment entails. Would a single hot and humid day kill a floor. I can try and mitigate with a dehumidifier that just runs constantly.

Also would an engineered variant ameliorate the situation?

Thanks in advance.

Improve this question
6
  • Cupping is often caused by highly-varying moisture levels above and below a floor. Whether it's floating or not isn't really relevant. Does your climate present humidity issues?
    – isherwood
    Commented Aug 18, 2016 at 13:39
  • @isherwood I am not sure I live in central NC. It gets hot and humid but I am not sure if it would be considered extreme. What would be an area where this would be a problem?
    – TheCodeNovice
    Commented Aug 18, 2016 at 13:45
  • It's more a matter of indoor conditions. Ground floor or upper level? Air conditioning?
    – isherwood
    Commented Aug 18, 2016 at 13:46
  • @isherwood it would be 2nd floor and there is a central AC unit cooling the space.
    – TheCodeNovice
    Commented Aug 18, 2016 at 13:48
  • If you follow the manufacturers instructions well, especially regarding the edge gap, I'd have no concerns. Please update your question with all relevant information so an accurate answer can be provided.
    – isherwood
    Commented Aug 18, 2016 at 13:49

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

Cupping will happen with most laminate floors eventually if the laminate gets wet and is not cleaned up right away. You can get waterproof laminate that is made from vinyl as an alternative but it is a little more pricey and may still get damaged when furniture is slid across it. There's also stick down vinyl planks which go over luan and it is easier to replace damaged pieces in the middle.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.