Warped Vinyl Tile From Water

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.

Warped vinyl tile from water.

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. Since wood fibers in real wood run lengthwise the weak direction is sideways. Sanding down a warped floor. Solid wood flooring will warp and swell when water logged.

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. 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. Moisture weakens glue bonds and causes the edges to lift. In an area such as a kitchen or bathroom sheet vinyl flooring and water are generally a good match.

Water damaged vinyl flooring is often unexpected. During installation run a vapor barrier under the vinyl plank flooring to help prevent buckling from moisture. For that reason they are an excellent choice for laundry rooms bathrooms kitchens and other areas where moisture is around. Sand down the bump in your flooring until it is level with the rest of the floor.

Luxury vinyl planks or tiles are in themselves completely water proof and cannot be damaged by exposure to moisture. This works best for warps that come from humidity or a water spill rather than from a leak that originated below your flooring. Once water has found its way underneath the tiles the tiles must be removed. When natural wood bends in this direction it crowns or cups.

The first method to fix a warped floor is to sand it. If a vinyl floor is affected by water damage it can be saved depending on the amount of time the water has been dwelling.