Fix a laminate floor that's peaking or buckling
When laminate or vinyl planks lift into a ridge at the joints, the floor usually has nowhere to expand. Often it's pinned by trim, a doorway strip or a heavy fixture, or the expansion gap at the walls is too tight. Freeing the edges often lets it settle. Moisture underneath is the other common cause, and that has to be dealt with first.
Why floating floors peak
Floating floors expand and contract with temperature and humidity, so they're installed with a gap all the way around the room, hidden under the baseboard or quarter round. If that gap closes up, or something holds the floor down, the planks push against each other and lift at the weakest joint.
Moisture from a leak or a damp slab can also make planks swell and peak. Swollen laminate usually doesn't go back to shape, so find and fix the source before replacing boards.
What makes a floor buckle
Planks installed tight against walls or cabinets.
Trim, transitions or fixtures fastened through it.
Leaks or a damp slab swell the planks.
Seasonal swelling with too little room to move.
Vinyl planks expand in strong sun through glass doors or near heat sources.
| What you see | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A ridge near a wall or doorway | The floor is pinned or the gap is too tight | Free the edges and trim. |
| Swollen, soft edges | Moisture | Fix the leak; replace planks. |
| Only in humid months | Too little room to expand | Widen the gap at the walls. |
| A peak near cabinets or an island | The floor is trapped under fixtures | Cut the floor back from the fixture, or call a pro if cabinets sit on the floor. |
Let's fix it
- Look for waterCheck for leaks from nearby appliances, pipes, doors and windows. Swollen, soft or discolored plank edges point to moisture.
- Find what's pinning itCheck the baseboard, quarter round, doorway strips and any cabinets or heavy fixtures near the peak. Nails or screws through the floor, or trim pressed down on it, stop it moving.
- Take off the trimCarefully remove the quarter round or baseboard along the nearest walls so you can see the gap between the floor and the wall.
- Open up the expansion gapWhere the floor touches the wall, trim back the plank edges with an oscillating tool to the gap the manufacturer specifies, cutting only the planks, not the underlayment or vapor barrier. Free any doorway strip that's fastened through the floor.
- Let it settle, then refit the trimGive the floor a day or two to relax. Then put the trim back, nailed to the wall or baseboard, not down into the floor.
If it doesn't settle
If the peak doesn't go down once the edges are freed, the joint may be damaged or the planks swollen, and those planks need replacing.
If much of the floor is swollen or soft, moisture is probably coming from below. A flooring pro can test the subfloor and check the vapor barrier.
What a pro typically charges (a rough estimate; prices vary by area): A flooring installer typically charges $200–$600 to relieve and repair a buckled area, more if planks or underlayment need replacing.
Other floor problems
Buckling floor questions
Will buckled laminate go back down?
If it's buckling because it's pinned, freeing the edges often lets it settle. Planks that swelled from water usually won't return to shape.
How big should the expansion gap be?
Check the flooring manufacturer's instructions; many call for about a quarter inch or more around the room.
Can I just nail the peak down?
No. Nailing a floating floor makes the problem worse and can damage the planks.
If I rent, should I fix a buckling floor?
Tell your landlord, especially if it could be a leak. Floor repairs are usually theirs.
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