Big mistake with a cheap laminate floor install... cost me $2,800

I decided to save some cash last summer and bought that bargain laminate from a big box store in Edmonton. Thought I could handle the install myself with a buddy over a long weekend. We got the whole main floor done but after three months the edges started curling up everywhere. Turns out we didn't leave enough expansion gap around the walls and the subfloor wasn't level enough. Now I'm looking at tearing it all out and paying a pro $2,800 to do it right with a proper floating floor system. Has anyone else had a floor fail like this after going the cheap route? What did you switch to?

3 comments

3 Comments

wrenh7922d ago

Half inch gap? That seems like a lot. I always thought the standard was a quarter inch or whatever the spacers give you. No wonder your floor is fine though, you basically gave it room to breathe. I bet that's where I screwed up too, I just used the little plastic spacers that came with the floor and called it good.

wadepalmer22d ago

You say "cheap route" but $2,800 for a proper install isn't some huge savings compared to the $1,200 you probably spent on the bargain stuff plus your own time. I actually had the exact opposite experience - went with a mid-range laminate from a local flooring shop in Calgary, paid a bit more for the thicker stuff with the attached underlayment, and my buddy who installs floors for a living helped me with the job. We left a half-inch gap around every wall like he insisted, used a laser level to check the subfloor and self-leveled a few low spots with that gypsum stuff, and three years later not a single curled edge or popped seam. So its not always about paying a pro, sometimes its just about following the directions and not skipping the prep work because you want to get it done in a weekend.

grant_torres7d ago

Didn't leave enough expansion gap" is the part that jumped out at me. Honestly that's the most common mistake people make with laminate and it'll kill any floor no matter how much you paid for it. I've seen $5 a square foot stuff buckle just the same when someone forgot to leave room. Your buddy wadepalmer nailed it with the half inch gap thing. I always go bigger than what the box says because wood and laminate both move more than people think. Sucks you have to rip it all out but you'll know better next time.