I purchased a home that had Harris Tarkett natural maple hardwood flooring installed a couple of years ago. This flooring is throughout the living room and hallways. The problem is, most areas crackle and echo throughout the house when you walk on it. It's very loud! The foundation of this home is slab. Do you think maybe it was the adhesive used? Is there anything I can do to remedy this problem? The floors look great, so I do not want to remove it.
2006-12-17 13:14:14 · 8 answers · asked by desta 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
There are no nails in the floor.
There is a corner fireplace in the living room. Also, the transition from wood to tile in the kitchen is at an angle.
2006-12-17 14:14:48 · update #1
Floor joist have bridging between them. It's either metal straps or blocks of wood. If there is no bridging or the bridging was poorly done, then this would cause that. You can cut 16" pieces of 2x10 (or whatever) and install them, but it would be an aggravation.
I might try the following. Buy two forty ton jacks for about $75. Then buy a green 4x6 that spans the width of the floor (16'?) from the Home Depot. Jack that beam up under the floor and raise it about a half inch. It will cut out all the sagging and add much integrity and strength to the floor. Brace the beam with 3 or 4 pieces of 4x6 on small concrete pads. You could also use adjustable jacks to brace the beam.
Good luck.
2006-12-17 13:23:50 · answer #1 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like the installer didn't properly prep the floors before applying the adhesive. If there was an excessive amount of dust then it will allow the glue to break away from the wood, but since it stays tacky it will create very loud cracking noises as you walk across it. Or it could be dirt and debris caught in between the boards. Since it is winter try letting the room get very cold for a day, about 45-50 degrees should do it, vacuum the floor really well, then sprinkle talcum powder over the entire floor, broom sweep it off, then slowly bring it back up to temperature, 65- 75 degrees. The talcum powder will create a buffer between the boards as the other post suggested, if that doesn't work you'll have to hire a pro. They can inject a liquid adhesive under the floor in several areas and weight it down for 24 hours, combined with the adhesive that is already there it will (or should) all but eliminate the problem, it will at the very least make it easier to live with. Good luck. Any reputable Hardwood installer should be able to take care of that service for you.
EDIT : and obviously Brainstorm hasn't got a clue about engineered hardwood flooring. 1/4" is about as thick as you'll want to go, any thicker and natural movement will cause it to break away from the adhesive, unless he has invented a better way to get it to stick to concrete. 3/4" will not work and is not sold for this purpose. And cheap? I doubt he has ever bought any hardwood. Don't listen to derogatory remarks, let's just focus on your problems, not his.
2006-12-17 17:10:31 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most likely no adhesive was used when the floor was installed. The industry terms it a "floating floor" and it is on a piece of padding. Where the floor goes underneath the molding and possibly the wallboard there should be a space of about1/4 to 1/2 inch. This allows the wood to expand and contract without buckling or leaving gaps. Usually they make noise until they settle in usually six weeks or so but since yours is older, they may be a bit tight. Are there odd angles where it happens? Like a corner fireplace or a staircase landing? Does it happen more in winter than summer? I have installed these floors before and lived in houses where it was already installed. Unlike a solid wood floor these have a tick tick sound when walked upon. It sounds hollow underneath. But, if you are hearing the sound of boards squeaking or cracking like they are trying to fit together you may need to do a bit of trimming. Try visiting a neighbor or friends house and see if they have the same sounds. Truthfully, furniture and rugs will help a great deal, but they will never sound like the solid floors of yesterday.
Hope this helps
2006-12-17 13:30:19 · answer #3 · answered by surftele 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Crackling Wood
2016-12-15 07:33:13 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well I have both and now that I see how much dirt there is on the hardwood it makes me sick to think what is under those carpets, I have to sweep and mop everyday. (I live in the desert and yes it does get windy here and I do have a dog and a desert landscape, but my word the dirt that comes in)! I cringe just thinking about what is under the carpets worn in, hardwood is easy to clean and you can see the dirt and clean it easily. So I love the tile and hardwood!
2016-03-13 08:04:14 · answer #5 · answered by Elizabeth 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like it is too tight and no room for expansion of the joints. Is there any kind of gap around the edges near the walls? Tou would have to pull up the base board or the quarter round ( shoe mold) and check.
2006-12-17 15:04:51 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try baby power. Just shake it out on the floor try to get as much as you can into the seams. walk on it letting it work its way down into the cracks. This helps believe it or not. In really bad places rub hand soap into the crack as much as possible than walk on it . dint worry it is easy to clean up when done.
2006-12-17 14:10:25 · answer #7 · answered by bittywrap 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
HEY ROBUTTOX, IT IS ON A SLAB.
NEW HOME OWNER, CAN U SEE ANY NAIL HOLES IN THE FLOORING? CAN U REMOVE A PIECE IN AN AREA THAT IS NOT NOTICABLE? IF U CAN CHECK TO SEE IF IT IS ON SKID BOARDS OR GLUED TO SLAB. WITHOUT THAT INFO WE CANT HELP U AND U MAY HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT.
2006-12-17 13:37:34 · answer #8 · answered by john t 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cheap flooring - too thin
2006-12-17 17:49:51 · answer #9 · answered by brainstorm 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋