Gapping & Cracks

Q: My husband and I recently installed the laminate hardwood look snap-together type flooring according to mfg instructions, in our kitchen. We didn’t lay a subfloor because our floor was fairly level, I don’t want to say perfect, because nothing is perfect, but not bad. Now we are noticing spots through the kitchen where...
Read more »

Q: We had a cork floor installed 3 years ago and each winter the ends pull apart and a gap of 1/8 to 1/4″ is evident. I’ve had the installer out and the company who manufactured the product out to view. Each blames the other for the problem. I’m tired of the conflict and...
Read more »

Q: I installed bamboo engineered click flooring on my garage floor that was converted to a media room. Floor wasn’t completely flat in a couple of spots…there is a cushion of air that you feel about 2′x3′ in diameter and about 2′ from the edge of the floor. would a humidifier help the floor...
Read more »

Q: I’ve been reading many of the questions/answers in this column and I have an idea about the cause of our problem, but here goes… We had a Shaw Versalock floor installed in our new construction home, in the kitchen and dining area, in the fall of ’06 (“Natural Splendor” Sanibel). It’s installed over...
Read more »

Q: I purchased bamboo flooring from ifloor and had an installer lay the floors down. Unfortunately, he left pretty large gaps between some of the sections and it is very noticeable. Is there anything that can be used to fill the gaps? They are not wide enough for pieces of board, but too large...
Read more »

CJ wrote back to get a bit more help with his problem. The original advice I gave him with his Westhollow Cork Problem involved the two most common problems for his issue: using too much cleaner or having an uneven subfloor. CJ sent a follow up with some pictures in hopes we could get...
Read more »

Q: We are currently having engineered wood floors from Anderson installed in our house. We are having them glued down to a concrete subfloor that has been floated to ensure smoothness… Everything seems to be in great shape but we started noticing minor gaps between boards – both side to side and end to...
Read more »

Q: I recently had Armstrong tile laid over old tile. Approx 10 to 20 percent of the tiles raised up on the corners and are now crumbling on those corners This tile was laid approx. one month ago. I certainly hope you can solve this problem for me. Flo Here you can see some...
Read more »

Q: We purchased a new home in August 2006. The builder installed pine flooring throughout out house. We realize that pine is quite soft and expected to have many scratches. Overall, we were satisfied with the way it came out, and it seems to be holding up quite well. However, we’ve been having a...
Read more »

Q: We had over 2300 square feet of hardwood installed by our builder in December of 2003. We have been fighting with our builder since then due to cracking issues, and water damage issues, due to building. We had some boards replaced and 3 inspections by builder funded inspectors. Each inspection came back in...
Read more »