I had a Bruce Engineered Hardwood Floor installed about 1.5 years ago with the glue down method.
About a year ago, I noticed that one plank was buckling -- it seemed to have become unglued from the concrete subfloor. Since then, that spot has grown to 2 -3 unglued planks and another plank about 6 feet away is also buckling.
The buckling planks are not located near windows or any other obvious sources of moisture. However, when I was preparing the subfloor in another part of my house to install a tile floor a couple weeks ago, I noticed some spots with a small amount of condensation. I live in Las Vegas, which gets about 4 inches of rain per year. The first plank buckled after I was out of the house for a week last July and had the thermostat turned up to 85 degrees.
So, I'm not sure if moisture is the culprit or if the buckling is due to expanding/contracting of the planks or some other reason. Any thoughts?
Considering the information above, what is the best way to proceed with fixing the floor? Bruce sells a kit that allows you to inject adhesive directly under the plank. Has anyone had success with such a kit? Or is it better to remove the planks and reglue them.
Thanks.
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Are these boards tight to the walls or is there any room for expansion?
Why I ask is because in the world of ceramic tile we sometimes see something called "tenting", where the tile is set tight to the walls or the grout has filled in any gaps along the wall and due to expansion the walls press out forcing the tile in the middle of the floor to heave up, sometimes with a violent "bang". My clue to that in your case is your statement about turning off the AC for a week, this allowed the wood studs to swell in the heat. Anyway, hopefully someone with wood floor experience may come along and enlighten both of us if my hunch is wrong.
Why I ask is because in the world of ceramic tile we sometimes see something called "tenting", where the tile is set tight to the walls or the grout has filled in any gaps along the wall and due to expansion the walls press out forcing the tile in the middle of the floor to heave up, sometimes with a violent "bang". My clue to that in your case is your statement about turning off the AC for a week, this allowed the wood studs to swell in the heat. Anyway, hopefully someone with wood floor experience may come along and enlighten both of us if my hunch is wrong.
The planks were installed with at least an inch or so of room to expand, so I don't think that's the problem.
I had an "expert" look at it, and he said the problem was likely that the plys of the planks were seperating from each other (an engineered floor has a layer of hardwood glued to a layer of plywood). I called the manufacturer, Armstrong, and Lowe's, who contracted the installer, and they both said this was highly unlikely.
The manager at Lowe's ensured me that he would "take care of me," so hopefully they will help sort things out. I was hoping that someone would have some advice regarding what a typical repair -- if there is such a thing -- may involve.
I had an "expert" look at it, and he said the problem was likely that the plys of the planks were seperating from each other (an engineered floor has a layer of hardwood glued to a layer of plywood). I called the manufacturer, Armstrong, and Lowe's, who contracted the installer, and they both said this was highly unlikely.
The manager at Lowe's ensured me that he would "take care of me," so hopefully they will help sort things out. I was hoping that someone would have some advice regarding what a typical repair -- if there is such a thing -- may involve.
