Laminate is one of the least forgiving floors to install badly. It floats, which means it moves, and almost every failure traces back to a decision made before the first plank went down. Here are the nine we are called out to fix most often.
1. Incorrect subfloor preparation
A floating floor needs the subfloor flat to within 3/16" over 10 feet. Skip the check and the planks flex over every high and low spot until the locking joints crack.
2. Poor underlayment selection
Underlayment is not just padding. Over concrete it has to act as a vapour barrier too, and the wrong product is the reason a floor cups a year after it was laid.
3. Inaccurate measuring and cutting
Under-ordering is expensive in a way that is not obvious at the time. Come back for more boxes later and you are into a different dye lot, which will not match the floor you already have.
4. Skipping acclimation
Planks have to sit in the room and adjust to its humidity before installation. In Charlotte, where indoor humidity swings hard between seasons, this step is not optional.
5. No expansion gap at the perimeter
A floating floor has to be free to move at every wall and every fixed edge. Trap it and it has nowhere to go but up, which is what peaking is.
6. Incorrect locking and sealing
Forcing a joint damages the locking profile in a way you cannot see once the plank is down. The floor looks fine on handover and opens up over the following year.
7. Ignoring room transitions
Long runs need an expansion joint or a T-molding at doorways. Running one continuous field through a whole floor plan without a break is asking for movement to collect at the far end.
8. Installing over failing floors
Laminate laid over a floor that is already failing inherits every problem underneath it, and hides them until they are worse.
9. The wrong product for wet rooms
Standard laminate does not belong in bathrooms, laundries or below-grade basements. There are products rated for it. Standard laminate is not one of them.
Most of these come down to preparation, moisture testing and transition planning before any work starts. If you would rather not find out which one applies to your subfloor, book a design consultation and we will measure it first.
