new home floating wood floor is buckeling in waves is this normal ?
Answers:
Check out this website - it has a plethora of information regarding "floating wood floors"
There does has to be some space to allow the flooring to expand and contract - thus the floating, but I doubt it should be noticeable.
Other answers:
There has to be some room for floor expansion but it sounds like they left too much.
I saw your other two questions and answered one. I hate to see anyone get ripped off but it sounds like you got a less than "workmanlike" job. If this were me, I'd talk to legal counsel.
There has to be some room for floor expansion but it sounds like they left too much.
I saw your other two questions and answered one. I hate to see anyone get ripped off but it sounds like you got a less than "workmanlike" job. If this were me, I'd talk to legal counsel.
No this is not normal.
The problem is that the floor is too close to the walls.
There should be at least ½ inch space from the walls and the floor.
Wood floors expand and contract across their width not their length. It sounds like you may have several issues.
1. The length of the flooring was incorrectly cut (short) which is just simply shoddy workmanship.
2. There is not enough of a gap left along the walls on the width aspects of the floor to allow for expansion/contraction. Depending upon the wood species, drying method, etc. this would need to be up to 1/2" on each side - this is typically covered by the base board and an additional "shoe" on the baseboard if needed. This additional "shoe" on the baseboard might be a solution to problem #1 if it comes to that - but you'll need to address the "buckling" regardless.
3. The wood used (depending upon species) may have been improperly kiln dried or was not suitable for wood flooring in the first place. If it is pre-finished flooring from a reputable brand then the issue is probably more about #2 - if your contractor fabricated the flooring from rough hardwood, it may not have been dried and or finished properly.
Sounds like pieces were not allowed to achieve room conditions, i.e., temperature and humidity, before they were placed. Expansion and contraction space at baseboards is needed but not to the degree youve described. I think even a 1/2" is too much. Are these real wood or one of the manufactured products? Real wood is trickier and requires more skill and knowledge. The manufactured stuff is more stable and doesn't need a lot of expansion room. This is why the home improvement stores push the manufactured stuff on do it yourselfers. It doesn't take much to get it right. Youre contractor appears to be a moron and has cut things way to short, especially if it is manufactured pieces.