Warped Vinyl Tile From Water

Sanding down a warped floor.

Warped vinyl tile from water.

Since wood fibers in real wood run lengthwise the weak direction is sideways. Sand down the bump in your flooring until it is level with the rest of the floor. Vinyl flooring can either be glued to the subfloor or it can float on top of it and either way moisture underneath it causes problems. Luxury vinyl planks or tiles are in themselves completely water proof and cannot be damaged by exposure to moisture.

The first method to fix a warped floor is to sand it. If water seeps up under the flooring from an extremely moist concrete subfloor the adhesive can be weakened causing buckling in the floors. Sometimes even a nearby water source like flooding underneath the house can cause enough of a moisture imbalance to result in warping. Water damaged vinyl flooring is often unexpected.

Solid wood flooring will warp and swell when water logged. In an area such as a kitchen or bathroom sheet vinyl flooring and water are generally a good match. Even water resistant floors like vinyl can be affected if the water works its way under the flooring and begins to degrade the paper backing. For that reason they are an excellent choice for laundry rooms bathrooms kitchens and other areas where moisture is around.

A recent claimant on a floor covering inspection told me they understood that they could chalk one more continue reading about water damaged vinyl flooring. When natural wood bends in this direction it crowns or cups. During installation run a vapor barrier under the vinyl plank flooring to help prevent buckling from moisture. Vinyl is more resilient to water than laminate flooring because it does not absorb water and is glued down not free floating.

Moisture weakens glue bonds and causes the edges to lift. Most often a warped wood floor is caused by standing water or heavy moisture below the floor due to an unidentified leak or other hidden water source.