A little over two months ago I had "3 engineered maple plank flooring (Mowhawk) installed over the existing linoleum in my kitchen. It's been crackling ever since...on every area of the kitchen. Sounds like walking on Rice Krispies. You can feel the boards moving up and down at the seams in some areas when walking on it in stocking feet.

The installers assured me that going over the linoleum would be fine since there was a plywood subfloor underneath the lino. The wood was installed right over it with no backing or underlayer. The wood was aclimated to the room for just under a week.

The store sent out representatives to see if it was a bad install job and they said it was installed properly and to give it another month to let the floor "settle". That was a month ago and the noise and movement is getting worse. The store said all they could do is contact the manufacturer and seee if they will send out a rep. I went with this particular store because they have a "lifetime installation guarantee".

It seems to me like an installation issue - i.e. nails not grabbing plywood under the lino, not enough nails used...whatever.

Can someone PLEASE give me some advice . 1. What can be done to fix the noise? 2. What is causing the noise? 3. Do I have recourse in having the store fix the problem?

I totally appreciate any help or advice. Thank you in advance!!!!!!!!!

Was this a nail down install? You mentioned not enough nails, but usually a engineered maple over linoleum is floated. If they floated the floor without any backing (often a thin layer of foam) you are probably getting hollow spots (gaps between the new floor and the existing linoleum) If that is the case, then it is defintely an install issue. Call the store back and raise hell.

The Mohawk I've seen was a glueless click floating floor, with a T&G very similar to Wilsonarts, TapTight joint.

If it is a floater, it sounds like there is not enough expansion space around the perimeter and it is locked in, putting pressure on the joints and actually heaving, by your decription "You can feel the boards moving up and down at the seams"

Thanks for your replies.

Yes..it was a nail down installation...it looked like they were using staple shaped nails. I saw one lying around while they were installing but don't know how long they were.

They butted the boards flush up against the center island and cabinets. I asked at the time about expansion, but was assured it was o.k. All of the woodwork on the perimiter of the room was trimmed up and the boards go underneath.

My gut feeling is that the planks are moving up and down verticaly...either they are bowing up due to expansion, or the nails aren't grabbing the subfloor...or both. the noise occurs around the room with some areas being much noisier.

Thank you again for your postings. Please let me know if you have further thoughts. I'll keep yo posted on the store's response.

Almost sounds as if this was installed over an unflat particle board, subfloor, or they used fasteners that were too long and blew through the subfloor.

Sounds more like a milling issue. It is not at all uncommon with those products.

You say the Island and cabinet toe-kicks are all butted? I would start right there using a toe-kick saw to get your required expansion. Maple has more movement than oak.

Call them back and have them carefully cut that in.

You don't live in Chicago do you?

??? Jerry, it is engineered. The 1millimeter of Maple on the top is not going to make any difference. Since has been stated that the noise has been there from the beginning, nothing but milling is likely to blame.

I have had "crackling" noises and issues myself with certain brands of engineered floors stapled with those smaller gauge staples. And I tried adjusting the stapler and other various procedures, none of which made much of a difference. IMO, some floors, even though the manufacturer says they can be stapled, are better glued down. Mainly because the T&G's are just not snug fitting enough to prevent the up and down movement. So I'm with Chuck on this one as it is probably a milling problem.

Gotcha Chuck, I was thinking solid. but I still do not net fit anywhere normally. I read way toooooooo much.

Movement blamed on milling?
movement causing noises ?
Can feel the movement?
The floor is not affixed to the floor for one of two reasons. a. staples not long enough to go through vinyl into the sub-floor or the staples too long, like somebody said earlier. It was a plywood sub-floor?

I still maintain that even though it is an engineered wood, that you can't install a kitchen floor and "net cut" every board around all 4-sides of a center island and all the base cabinets and not expect to have some problems.

Those 18ga 1/4" narrow crown staples are not going to keep that floor down when it wants to move a fraction. It has nowhere to go but up. And that is a good point Pally brought up about the length. How long are the staples?

How many layers of vinyl and 1/4" plywood underlayment do you have? I am installing a kitchen floor right now that has 2-layers of vinyl and 1/4" underlayment that I am floating over.

Y'know, if people would just think for a couple of minutes AFTER READING THE ORIGINAL POST, this would become more clear.

It is 3in engineered. Just what sort of staple is on the market for a Mohawk engineered that could be called "too long"? (or too short for that matter?)

The poster did not mention the kitchen getting flooded; and short of that, there is no friggen way expansion space has anything at all to do with vertical movement. I can understand the desire to be the smartest guy in the room, but these things are usually pretty simple. The best way to ascertain the reason for a problem is to rule out what is NOT making it happen.

First off...Thank for your lively and spirited replies.

The store contacted the manufacturer (at my request) who then sent out an independent inspector (nice guy by the way) with a bevy of instruments. water content measuring devices and magnetic ball bearings.

Since he was on assignment for the manufacturer, he didn't want to say too much but indicated that 99.9 percent of the issues he see are installer related. Also mentioned not enough room was left for expansion (i.e. butting up against the island etc.).

He also shook his head no quite often while inspecting the floor which, correct me if I'm wrong here...probably means the team that installed this floor in 4 hours with an hour and a half lunch break...didn't take pride in their "craft".

Anyway, I'm not sure what milling issues are, please feel free to dumb it down for me in future posts. Thanks again for the replies. I'll be contacting the store again this week to hopefully resolve the issue once and for all...I'll keep you all posted. -D

Chuck, I don't care one way or the other. I have a question and I know you will give me an honest answer. Are you going to install that job and net fit the boards like the poster said?

It very well may be the milling, but last I heard Columbia was making Mohawk engineered and I don't remember alot of milling complaints posted. The only thing I advised was using a toe-kick saw, if that did not help it did not hurt anything to try.