Luxury Vinyl THROWBACK
About 5 years ago I published an article regarding the effect direct sunlight exposure has on certain luxury vinyl floorcoverings LUXURY VINYL MEETS IT'S KRYPTONITE — Violand Flooring Inspections (mark4floors.com) It can still happen, so watch out for those installations where the floor might get direct sunlight exposure. I just looked at a floating floor for gaps at the end joints. Low and behold this floor is being abused by direct sunlight, but the planks are stable and not exhibiting any issues related to the thermal dynamics it is being subjected to.
The stability of some luxury vinyl products have changed, but…read on as to the reason for the gaps.
While luxury vinyl is much less susceptible to changes in dimension from heat, floors are still failing and exhibiting gaps. Installers are having more difficulty and frustration with these products.
I started looking through my archive of inspections and photos and found several floors exhibiting gapping primarily at the ends of the planks.
Why does it happen at the ends of the planks?
What I found was a direct correlation to the out-of-flat substrates and the effect it has on the planks, like the floor I refenced above. Another correlation is restrictions and insufficient expansion spacing on floating luxury vinyl plank floor installations, causing them to fail. Contrary to popular belief, restrictions and insufficient expansion spacing are NOT always flooring installer related.
LAMINATE AND LUXURY VINYL
There is no argument that luxury vinyl flooring has hit the industry by storm and with it came the struggle for dealers, sales associates, and INSTALLERS to keep up with the myriad of idiosyncrasies that come with the product such as floor flatness, how to lock the planks together, and size of the space it can be installed in. It reminds me of when laminate first hit the shores of the US decades ago and the ensuing rush for manufacturers to start making laminate themselves. Look how far we have come from having to glue laminate together (straps, special staging racks, and oh, the gluey mess) to drop lock, so easy. Advancements in the locking systems made the installation of laminate easy enough for the do-it-yourselfer. Hmmm, much of the same can be said about luxury vinyl…to a point. Remember when the installer had to lay out a separate underlayment? Now it’s attached to nearly all the products making installation so much easier and you guessed it, more DIY friendly.
OUT-OF-FLAT VS LEVEL
Luxury vinyl can be a bit more temperamental than laminates. They’re sold as being able to go over almost any existing floorcovering except carpet, but it still has limitations. Subfloors need to be flat –flatter than one might think – 3/16” inch in 10 feet. What does OUT-OF-FLAT mean? Picture waves or ripples on a body of water, the high and low parts. Now picture a subfloor that has subtle waves in it that may not be visible from a standing position, but if you place a straight edge on the floor, you may find areas where the straight edge is touching and areas where there are gaps under the straight edge. That is an undulation in the subfloor AKA: out-of-flat. The difference between the high point and low point of the undulation cannot be (according to manufacturers) greater than 3/16” in 10 feet and 1/8” in 6 feet. But don’t get stuck on those numbers, what if you measure 1/32” out-of-flat in 12 inches? As subtle as that is, that is out of tolerance, for some manufacturers.
I test a floor for flatness by stretching a string line along the length of the planks.
Some might say, “oh, how rudimentary”. I say, I don’t have to calibrate a string. Then I look closely for areas where there is a gap between the bottom of the string and top of the floor. I then use a taper gauge to measure the out of flat area between the high points where the string is touching.
How undulations happen can be caused by a crowned or sagging joist or sagging of the Oriented Strand Board (OSB) between the joists, or the way the concrete cured. Gaps happen at the ends of planks because the planks bridge over the low points of the subfloor. When foot traffic traverses the floor, the foot pushes the planks downward into the undulation which pulls the connected planks with it. Eventually the locking mechanism at the ends of the planks weaken, and subsequent gaps appear.
EXPANSION SPACE
In the same vein as laminate needing expansion space, these luxury vinyl floors need as much if not more depending on the amount being installed. Expansion space around the perimeter of the installation needs to be maintained. Expansion spaces can be compromised from a nail being accidently driven into the expansion space from the quarter round, improper transition pieces, or installing the floor net to the fireplace hearth and numerous other vertical abutments.
Because the floor is still susceptible to temperature changes, when the floor wants to expand and can’t, it could cause planks to separate along the length and ends. If the planks are subject to insufficient expansion spacing for long periods of time, gaps, peaking, and curling of the planks can occur.
NOT INSTALLATION RELATED!
How are some of these issues not installation related? Many of these floors are being installed in new construction homes, and it is not uncommon for luxury vinyl to be installed throughout the home. The flooring must be acclimated to the temperature of the home, and should be the last thing installed after cabinets, fireplace stone, or anything else touching the floor. The flooring will also be installed before the final carpentry work is done so when the finish carpenter comes to finish the home, nails can be driven into the expansion space, the installer did not cause this but could be blamed for it. The shoe molding, baseboards or door casings can be installed so tight to the top of the floor that it can restrict movement, the installer did not cause this but could be blamed for it. While one would think that the floor would be flat in new construction, in more cases than not, the floor is out of flat. In renovation situations, many times different floorings have been removed so the luxury vinyl can be installed throughout. This commonly results in different height levels in the subfloors that need to be raised, flattened, and made smooth to one height before anything is installed.
BOTTOM LINE
With all that said, the new kryptonite of luxury vinyl plank floors that are floating installed, is a subfloor that is out-of-flat and lack of expansion space.
Know and understand the difference between out-of-flat and level,
Know what the flatness tolerances are for the installation of the floating floor you are installing,
Take care not to restrict movement of the floor, the floating floor must be able to expand and contract without restrictions.
If the area is not conducive for a floating floor installation, consider a similar product that can be glue-down installed.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Mark Violand has been in the carpet cleaning and restoration industry for almost 44 years. He is an Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) Certified Carpet Inspector and approved Instructor. He teaches the Carpet Cleaning Technician, Commercial Carpet Cleaning and Maintenance, and Carpet Repair and Reinstallation Technician courses.
His reputation precedes him as Northeast Ohio’s “go-to” floorcovering inspector, working for carpet, resilient, wood, and laminate manufacturers, and floorcovering retailers, consumers, attorneys, and insurance companies.
For information or help regarding flooring inspections, stain removal, carpet repair, or classes, please call me at 330-807-2255 or email me Mark@Mark4floors.com
Jessica Bruno is a Practicing Senior Carpet Inspector and holds IICRC Certifications in Carpet Repair and Reinstallation, Commercial Carpet Maintenance and Carpet Cleaning Technician.
She is a Lead Sales Associate at a local ProSource, a flooring wholesaler. She is also the Chairman of the S220 Standard for Hard Surface Floor Covering Inspection, which was recently released.