 | Doug Brennon has been in the carpet/flooring industry for 20 years. He has been the corporate store manager for Derailed Commodity for the last 6 years. For more information please call 620-395-2141 or visit www.derailedcommodity.com. |
Carpet, Tile & Floor Covering
2011-03-01 10:26:00
Warped flooring
Question: We have laminate flooring in our kitchen and dining room. It has been down for about three-years and has been trouble free, until now. Our dishwasher developed a leak and to our dismay wasn’t detected until the floor started to warp. Now what do we do?
Answer: I am sorry to hear of your troubles, one of the problems with putting laminate flooring in a kitchen is the close proximity to water, and as most people know when a dishwasher goes bad it usually leaks, and it takes a while for the leak to be discovered. When water gets under laminate flooring, it usually causes it to fail. That squeeky floor in your kitchen could be telling you something. When water gets under a laminate floor, it can cause a lot of problems.
The first step to repairing your floor is to dry it completely. You may have to use fans but this is a step that must be done. Remove the dishwasher, replace it or get it repaired. Next, remove the damaged laminate, once it is warped it must be replaced, it can not be straightened. Hopefully, it is still available or you have some replacement panels left over from the initial installation. It is very important for the floor to be completely dry. This could take some time so be prepared. I would also recommend a mildew-killing solution be applied to kill any mildew that may have grown in the moist environment.
After you are sure that the floor is completely dry, check the subfloor for warping. If the sub-floor has warped it will need to be replaced. Next, replace the flooring as recommended by the manufacturer. Then, to try and keep this from happening again, I would recommend taking a flexible caulking and sealing around the edges of your laminate that are under your dishwasher that way if it should happen to leak, it will not be as likely to get under your flooring. It is important to check your appliances regularly and if there is a problem to have it repaired as soon as possible.
Remember, don’t ignore your floor if it should start to squeak this is a sign that something has changed and needs addressing.
