im an installer in north west arkansas.i am having problems with one particular laminate product.manufaturer is uniboard.product is handscraped hickory from lowes.the stuff goes down beautifully and can easily be mistaken for real hardwood .the problem is these crackling noises.i did nothing differently than on all hard surface jobs.moisture testing,flattening low spots to within spec,proper expansion in all areas,etc...two jobs that i did this flooring in are now making subtle popping noises.what is the cause if they used the proper cleaner and i did all the proper installation criteria. the internet hasnt been very helpful.they all say installation issue,yet i follow manu. instruction to the tee.so my question is what else could it be.and by the way as an experiment i sprayed some silicone in one of the noiser boards and instantly the noise was gone.these floors were both installed mid and late last year.

Well you probably already know it's t&g noise.

The only time I've heard t&g noise is...
1) Subfloor out of spec. Which sounds like it isn't.
2) Warped planks out of the box. Which you would have heard when installing.
3) Floor is locked in somewhere. Binding the t&g
4) Different rooms moving at different rates. No t-mouldings in doorways, or T-mouldings not installed correct, causing binding.
5) Homeowner not keeping the RH within recomendation.

Here's a theory I just thought of. I imagine if the consumer isn't maintaining the floor correctly, the t&g could swell enough to make noise, but not enough to be noticible to the eye ,or even the texture of the t&g could change, like become abrasive?

that was my thoughts,too.as far as the t&g swelling.very hard to get info on this type of problem.as you can see .i have layed many laminate floors and this is the first to make such a noise. if anyone else out there has installed this product please let me know.

Tough thing to prove, " t&g noise due to swelling", If the swelling is so minute it's not detectable by eye. Then tough to prove that it's a result of topical maintaince.
I'm thinkin .......Well this may sound like a stretch If it was me, and I was positive I had all my bases covered on the install....I would locate some loud squeeking as close to the wall as I could find, pull some base, pull the 2 boards at the squeeking joint, pull them apart, take a lighted magnifier, and examine the entire t&g top to bottom, maybe I could prove it's from a topical condition. Or for that matter if I found ANY swelling, and my vapor barrier was intact, it's not an installation issue.

Probably forgot the silicone/wax on some planks during the run. I found evidence of no wax on an inspection of a laminate once. The wax is to prevent squeaking, some do have better protected locking mechanisms that are water resistant too.

Its easy to check but you have to have left over and pull the area of the squeak and check those.

Great point, didnt think about "lack of wax". Seems like another tough one to prove. I wonder if you took some water mixed with dye, and sprayed it on, if it would detect a lack of wax pattern.

I didn't even need dye. I just used water. You can visually see water penetration into the T&G where it starts and stops.

Even though I documented that in my report the lady was using a Swiifer that sprays water on the floor. CLAIM DENIED!!! Because the wax/silicone whatever is not designed to prevent seam swelling/damage from improper cleaning maintenance.

I think the purpose of the wax is 2 fold. To prevent against seam swelling ,following manuf. suggested maintenance. Which your pretty much SOL, even if you follow their recommendation, ( enless you do a large volume with them). And to prevent against t&g noise. Which if you can prove that's the problem...They probably pawn it off on maintenance. Man , you can see where my head's at today...those suckers

Well Howard, I agree somewhat. The wax "should" prevent some seam swelling from moisture penetration but if they say thats not what it's fer, then you ain't going to win that argument.

There's only a couple manufacturer's out there that do warranty thaton their floating click floor. And one is on a cork floor by USFloors I believe.

Who else warranty's moisture penetration in seams? I use Cal-floor.com...click-seal in wet areas.

Nope, there's no argument there. Topical seam swelling is a maintenance issue these days.

Interesting on how some aspects change. Years back Formica had a wild booth at Surfaces. They had their laminate surrounded and siliconed by plexiglass walls, with a bathtub overflowing. The surface of the stuff was under water, yet there was no seam swelling. This was when it was all t&g glue. If there was swelling due to topical moisture, it was the responsibility of the installer for improper gluing.

[quote="Floorologist If there was swelling due to topical moisture, it was the responsibility of the installer for improper gluing.[/quote]


Yea, I fought that fight over at the Freds forum with a lam manufacturer. These's such a thing as micro-gaps in the glue line. Nuthins perfect and water can penetrate into the seam when flooded.

I said I could check any glue line and find micro-gaps in the line with a microscope. He went away all butt hurt.

When I was inspecting Pergo, (when they first came to the states), we were taught to use a lighted magnifier in the seams, to find any glue gaps. Also used a feeler gauge to feel gaps in the gluing. I was certified for installation.... It was impossible to install that stuff "micro glue gap" free. I dont care how you glued, or how many straps you used. I'm glad that type of laminate installation is gone.

Me to Howard. I hear there are still a couple around. Not sure why.

My main issue with the man was how many installers and retailers were screwed over that issue. Too bad they cannot be reconsilied and the man speakith the truth on it.

Now we have the delam issue on engineered hardwood and installers are being blamed for low rh on installations of engineered that delam, especially when it comes to foreign made products that do not specify they are made to the APA standards.

And the fight goes on.

sounds like a good arguement for solid flooring to me

Not to be a whiner, or stray off topic , but it pisses me off. Over all the years, it's always the installer deemed responsible. It's day to day practice for the manuf. to throw an installer under the bus, bailing on issues they should address and be responsible for.

As you said now the delam issue on engineered. How twisted is that ?? To me that issue should be a slam dunk. IMO yes, it should be in part, the responsibility of the installer to educate the homeowner on RH, ( along with the sales person & manuf). But after that ,delam is manuf. or consumer related. Why the heck is it on the installers head ???? Definetely can start a whole long thread on "Installer being dumped on".

On a positive note.... Last few Meritage jobs I installed ...I noticed Meritage printed ,( in big large script, on the top of the box), the suggested RH range in the home . Something the homeowner cant miss, ( especially sitting in their home acclimating). Good for them