Originally posted 28th July 2016
Last updated 7th June 2022
Why Is My Laminate Floor Lifting?
We explore why you may be seeing your laminate floor lifting, and what you can do to prevent this from damaging your floor.
A laminate floor is an attractive option for those looking for a hard-wearing, affordable and easy to care floor. However, any laminate floor owner needs to be aware of the possibility of lifting around the edges of each board.
Regardless of whether you've only recently laid down a brand new laminate floor or if you've been in the possession of one for a long time, the problem of laminate flooring lifting upward can strike at any time.
Three reasons why your laminate floor might be lifting...
1. Lack of Correct Expansion Joints
If you have floor lifting, the first thing to look out for is a lack of correct expansion joints. Our recommendation is that 8 to 10mm of expansion should be allowed on all sides of the floor, particularly around any pipes or if laminating under a door from one room to another. The further expansion should be allowed if the room is large and if it exceeds 13 metres in any direction.
Read more: The Cost of Laminate Flooring
2. Moisture on the Sub-floor
If you are covered on the expansion joints, the next culprit for lifting flooring could be a fault in your sub-floor preparation. As laminate is a wood-based product, your floor will be highly susceptible to moisture. On a concrete sub-floor, the moisture content must be below 2.5% using the Concrete Moisture Test. Factory Direct Flooring Ltd recommends the use of a suitable underlay with an integrated damp proof membrane. This greatly helps control the moisture getting into your floor, preventing damage to the laminate.
If you are placing laminate over underfloor heating, the recommendation for moisture content is no more than 1.5%, and the sub-floor temperature must not be higher than 28°C.
Read more: How to Install Laminate Floors
If you are laying over a suspended wooden floor, it is very important that the correct ventilation is available and that the air bricks and the underfloor space are clear of any ventilation obstructions. In addition, the sub-floor moisture content in suspended floors should not exceed 12%. It is also essential to use the correct underlay with an integrated D.P.M.A.
3. Bounce in the Floor
If you are experiencing a bounce in the floor, this is typically caused by an uneven sub-floor. You should consider the tolerance for unevenness to be 2mm over a metre in every direction. Always ensure that your floor is acclimatised and installed in line with the manufacturer’s instructions. Follow this and you shouldn’t have any lifting problems with your laminate floor.
Read more: What is the Best Laminate Flooring
Our Flooring Calculator
If you are after new flooring instead, when you browse any type of flooring at Factory Direct Flooring Ltd, each product has a flooring calculator on the page. Simply enter the surface area in either metres or feet squared and our My Project flooring calculator will tell you how many packs you’ll need and how much it will cost you.
By simply measuring your room and entering your dimensions, we will provide you with an instant price which will show on every type of flooring you browse across our website. You can either input the total coverage or your width and length measurements, in meters or feet. You can even save your measurements room by room to make your shopping experience stress-free.
It also offers to add an extra 10% for wastage. While this may cost a little bit more, we highly recommend adding it just in case there are mishaps during the installation process. Enjoy the My Project flooring calculator below:
Get instant Personalised Pricing for your room
- Enter your unique room measurements.
- We'll give you an instant price for the flooring you need in your home.
Laminate floor lifting help
If you need any more information on how to prevent your laminate floor from lifting, then you'll find a plethora of advice and guides that cover each product at Factory Direct Flooring Ltd. Alternatively, feel free to give us a call on 0330 100 00 15 and our team will help you. If you need help with laminate floor repair or would like to know how to fix a laminate floor that has started to lift, try speaking to your floor fitter.
If you installed the floor yourself, you can seek advice from either a floor installer or the Factory Direct Flooring Ltd team. We can try and diagnose your problem for you.
