# Problem with laminate floor



## caroline (Sep 29, 2009)

I have a problem with my laminate floor in the master bath room. It seems that somebody (not me, of course! :grin oveflowed her bathtub last night.
I cleaned it up dried it as best I could and walked all over the join strips with towles to squeeze out the water. It wasn't a lot of water but enough to get in between the strips.

Anyway, just like I knew it would, where the strips join, the joins have warped just a little but eough to otice.

My question: can I use a soft folded cloth and a heavy hammer to push the seams back into place; or will this go back to normal once the floor has dried completely underneath?
Or should I start thinking about a new floor? The house is for sale and I want it right.

Thanks for any help.


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## gobug (Dec 10, 2003)

The flooring will shrink as it dries out, but the bathroom is a moist heavily used environment. 

I suggest you use a small sander to smooth the floor, then cover it with a water proof flooring. Bathroom floor spaces are usually small so the expense of the vinyl (et al) is small. The sanded area may shrink a bit, but the covering will keep it from showing.

I am a little confused over the house being for sale and the bathroom floor being an unfinished floor. Is it worth the time and effort? If the remainder of the house is finished, I say add the new floor promptly. It is the time of a buyer's market, so buyers are going to be picky.

Good luck.


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## caroline (Sep 29, 2009)

No the floor was beautiful laminate and finished when I overflowed the tub last night!

I just want to know if the joins will shrink back into place or not. I don't want to show the house with a flaw like a floor that needs replacing. I'd sooner do it now then have someone complain.


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## tiogacounty (Oct 27, 2005)

As a builder, I never put laminate in my spec. homes and will only do it for a custom home after a long conversation, and solid attempt to persuade the customer to choose alternative materials. 
Your experience is one of many reasons that laminate has developed a real negative opinion for a LOT of potential home buyers. I have had shoppers stand on a $8K worth of real, clear, wide plank Cherry in a living room and ask me, "This isn't Pergo is it". When I replied that I do not use laminates in my homes, the woman said, "Good, I wouldn't buy a place with that stuff". This was not an isolated incident, btw.
Pergo style laminates, (and there are thousands of them available) are all built on a particle board plank base. Bottom line is that you can put lipstick and a pretty dress on a pig, and name it Sandra Bullock, but it's still a pig. Particle board is no different, it's garbage. If you cover it with a pretty layer of plastic that really looks like expensive wood, it's still garbage. If it is used in an environment where it is, and always will remain, extremely dry and free of accidental moisture exposure, perhaps it would be a decent choice. That said, it rarely is so lucky. Here in the Northeast, I have seen the edges swell just from the seasonal humidity. A lot of the products are also extremely delicate when it comes to surface damage and will often chip when things get dropped. It can bounce and clatter when walked on, and it is really tough to repair.
As you have seen, a lot of moisture, even for a short period of time, really destroys it. In your case, it is ruined, and it isn't going to "go back down" by even a little bit. Since it is a real negative for a lot of home shoppers, and it's now damaged, it's best to get it out of there. Good luck.


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## caroline (Sep 29, 2009)

Thanks. I didn't put it i, it was there already.
I hate the stuff. Now I guess i should get a new bathroom floor asap as the house is on the market.

Waaa!


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Must be a really cheap laminate, we have it in my mothers and where it is the dogs keep it almost perminantly soaked. Hasn't warped or swollen a bit.


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## romysbaskets (Aug 29, 2009)

Our laminate flooring has been great for wear and tear...dogs, baby grandson, spills and spills....the only issue is that we didn't calculate enough for the expansion. Hubby did them and did a wonderful job. He is going to have to cut some edging...only one piece buckled from this which is under our couch. We don't have dips and chips out of our flooring...it has worn very well. They said to leave 1/4 inch for expansion in the directions but he left a 1/2 inch and it was still not enough. I don't think I would put it in a bathroom either. I like my simple vinyl easy care bathroom floor. For upscale homes..tile floors or slate or rock are all used...bathrooms have pretty small floors. You have a lot to choose from to upgrade the floor from laminate if you want to. Someday we will do more...for now..easy care is more important.


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## shawnlee (Apr 13, 2010)

Long story short......It is more than likely shot.....sounds gone to me.


Ceramic / marble / slate types of tile and linoleum are great choices for a wet area due to thier resistance to water damage and allowing water into the substrate which ruins the structure of the house.


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## davel745 (Feb 2, 2009)

Just a note: if you sand off the raised edges when the floor dries and goes back it will be low on the sanded edges and no way can it be fixed.

I agree get some tile down with a good water proof mortar and grout.

Dave


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## unioncreek (Jun 18, 2002)

We put laminate in our kitchen and didn't find out till after installation that it's not recommended in kitchens or other high moisture areas. We didn't put down the cheap stuff either. I thought that's wrong so I called an old friend that installs hardwood and laminate floors and he said he would never install it in either a kitchen, bathroom or other places that may have a lot of moisture or could get wet. We're planning on pulling it back out and redo the floor with something better.

Bobg


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## starjj (May 2, 2005)

I have laminate in my bedroom and LOVE it. That said the closet had it too and the water heater leaked just enough to ruin it in the closet thank goodness. Once wet it is pretty much gone and has to be replaces. I had it in my old place in TN in the LR,DR and hall and was very happy with it there also. I had Pergo in both places. There are many different brands some that are very cheaply made and some that are better. not saying it can beat wood floors but wood floors are expensive.


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