Hello, this is my first post. I hope to get some advice.
I have recently installed (myself) about 400 sq feet of Bruce Lock N Fold Engineered hardwood floors in my basement. I used "Sound Solutions" underlayment which was used because of the good ratings I had read about on a different flooring forum. Also, the concrete was flat and met the guidelines of the owners manuals that came with the wood.

The floor looks great! However when walking on it it makes a cheap crackling / popping sound! It sounds like laminate flooring. Maybe even worse. I understand wood makes some noise but i think this is abnormal.

Does anyone have any advice for me? Anything to put into joints to silence sound?

I would appreciate ANY advice!
Thanks

You should have asked before, and I would have advised against the lock and fold if not Bruce all together. I have installed it a couple of times and it has always crackled. I haven't gotten call backs so I hope that it went away. I won't sell it anymore, I just won't take the chance.

I had the same problem on the ONE job I installed with it. I called the Armstrong technical dept. & their reply was ,"It has to be installation". I wont sell it again either. Since then every so often the customer goes over the seams with talcom powder, and it silences the crackling, ( must be a real pain & a mess ) They say"We love the look, but cant sneek to the fridge at night !". I have offered them to replace the floor, and I will go after Armstrong.

Same here, but my job was my neighbors and Ken Fisher was there helping. lol

Luckily the guy is partially deaf from being a fighter pilot and his wife dont care. I didn't sell it though (Lowes) and noticed it the second day of the install. I told him to take it back now, now is the time or else forget it.

The way I see it is it's wood against wood with no lubricant on the locking mechanism like laminates have...well some laminates anyway. Just did a click long plank bamboo and it's doing the same thing.

Any floating floor is going to have some movement so there is no way they can blame movement on installation being that specs state 3/16 in ten feet or what have you, thats enough to have movement. Take them to court.

[quote="floormeintucson"
The way I see it is it's wood against wood with no lubricant on the locking mechanism like laminates have...well some laminates anyway. Just did a click long plank bamboo and it's doing the same thing.


Morning Star, click long strip bamboo from LL, will do it every time.

...and I got ya through that kitchen pretty fast eh?

The Lock n Fold uses the 2G system, so although something off in the milling can contribute to it, floormeintucson is right on....those systems should have wax applied to the T&G. Sometimes, those sprayers on the line will stop up and you'll have boards with little or no wax, and the wood to wood contact creaks and squeaks.

Thanks for the reply's so far.

Does anyone have any post-installation fixes?
Has anyone expirimented with lubricant in the points?

What type?

Thanks

Yes we did. Ken even showed my neighbor who was helping how to mark the planks without measuring.

Try some talc.

i tried baby powder (which was recommended) but no luck.
just a big mess.

any other idea's?

thanks

Baby powder with talc was banned years ago most likely due to California babys getting some sort of lung/breathing complications. Now its just starch based and yes will make a mess. Better vacuum that out.

Try your local hardware store

Maybe powder graphite ?