# Expansion Gap On Laminate flooring



## gtdail (May 31, 2006)

I put down snap together floating laminate in my church fellowship hall (40'x60') and left at least 1/4" just like the directions said on the box once it got hot it started to rise swell up took the shoe moulding up and it was against the wall anybody got any experience putting laminate hardwood on concrete floors in big rooms? I went around and cut another 1/4" off the edged do you think it is going to pull out when it gets cold? I guess the were not figuring on 60' runs when they sail 1/4" for expansion. thanks


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

You shouldn't have any more problems. Did you acclimate it prior to installation? 40 X 60 is a pretty good stretch without transitions.

I like Pergo in the high-end stuff and have never had any problems here. Our humidity is from about 50-100%. It's the ratio that counts.


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

Thats exactly why they tell you to not go over a 30ft continuous run or iirc 1000sf of area without a t-molding. That being said I have done several without any problems just by allowing for more expansion space. teetor also brings up a good point about acclimation...its not just a suggestion, its required.


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## gtdail (May 31, 2006)

this was the low end stuff $.89 they didn't say anything about long runs on the directions how much are you guys getting a square foot to put down floating laminate.


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## Floorwizard (Sep 24, 2003)

Sounds like pretty unstable stuff.


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

Furniture? What kind of prep work? Moldings supplied or am I staining to match? Takeup? Without knowing all of that (and more) its hard to answer "how much". Every job is different and therefore gets bid differently. I guess you could say 2 bucks a foot for a bare bones install would be a good starting point ( for my market).


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

Florcraft said:


> Sounds like pretty unstable stuff.


 Yup...ya get what you pay for.


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## turner flooring (Feb 4, 2007)

gtdail said:


> I put down snap together floating laminate in my church fellowship hall (40'x60') and left at least 1/4" just like the directions said on the box once it got hot it started to rise swell up took the shoe moulding up and it was against the wall anybody got any experience putting laminate hardwood on concrete floors in big rooms? I went around and cut another 1/4" off the edged do you think it is going to pull out when it gets cold? I guess the were not figuring on 60' runs when they sail 1/4" for expansion. thanks


Alot of times moisture is the cause of most problems if the materials were installed correctly. When the heat comes, concrete sweats and moisture follows, hence laminate goes crazy. All flooring for that matter. When installing large areas commercially get either a sign off and next time charge for a moisture test to be done. That could be the answer to most problems before the flooring ever goes down. And if you test it and the levels are too high and they decide to install it anyhow. Then you could be off the hook from the start. As long as you have the sign off.
When it comes to cheap materials..He said it right. you get what you pay for.
And that's so true in all cases that i've dealt with..Next time cover yourself with the sign off or something to explain why the floor has problems other than a bad install. Sometimes it's not your fault, but trust me they will blame you unless you cover all your bases. Let others make crucial decisions so you aren't the fall guy. Especially when it's a cheap floor.. It's bound to have something go wrong. It's cheap.. and for a reason..


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