Laminate flooring and water do not mix; it is a well-known fact. Many homeowners, when flooding occurs, will naturally and understandably – due to the ongoing climate of austerity – try to take the cheaper option of simply attempting to dry the floorboards out.
Drying laminate floorboards so that they return to their original condition just isn't possible.
One of laminate's properties is its absorbance. Working like a sponge, the material will soak up any water it comes into contact with. The water will then have reversing effect on the adhesive properties of the deeper layers – causing them to separate.
The process can be compared to getting a book wet – once dry, the pages are never the same as they once were; instead they swell, buckle and the edges curl up. Wet laminate flooring suffers from exactly the same outcome.
Unfortunately water damaged laminate flooring boards will need to be replaced – which can be extremely awkward if you don't have any spare boards left over from the installation process.
The latest flooring news, courtesy of Floors Online.
Date : 16/09/2011
Category: Flooring Industry News