Hi,
I have installed an Alloc laminate floor in two rooms with plans to extend into another 3 other rooms.
The new laminate squeaks a lot when you walk on it, and I am hesitant about going ahead and putting it in the other rooms without solving the squeaking problem.
It is installed over a solid OSB subfloor that is over the manufactured floor joists that have plywood chords and and a plywood web. The subfloor feels very solid and its flat. The old finished floor that I removed (also a laminate) did not squeak.
On top of the existing subfloor, I am adding radiant heating. This consists of 3/4 OSB spacers with half inch PEX-AL-PEX tubing runs. I am using aluminum heat spreaders to spread the heat from the PEX out.
There is a layer of the Alloc thin foam underlayment directly under the Alloc laminate floor planks.
The floor does not squeak when the radiant flooring warms it up — it only squeaks when you walk on it.
If I listen quite carefully with my ear near the floor, it sounds like the squeak is coming from movement of the joints between the laminate floor planks. These are the “clip in” glueless type.
Any ideas on how to solve the problem?
I’ve thought about:
– A different type of underlayment?
– Adding a thin layer of plywood (or?) over the OSB radiant floor spacers?
– Adding glue at the plank joints even though they are glueless?
– Getting earplugs
Thanks — Gary
Replies
let me throw a few ideas at you.
So, most likely the squeek is coming from the panels rubbing against each other. Which may mean that the flooring is not sitting tight against the subfloor etc. Could it be possible that there is a dip in the area where the squeak is coming from or that the laminate flooring is cupped. You probably want to make sure that there are no gaps under the laminate flooring first.
If that did not sound very convincing. and if the squeak is coming from only a small area of the flooring, you can try gluing that area of the flooring. That I think should take care of the problem.I would recommend Titebond 2, which is water resistant and wipe of any glue that squeezes out.
If the whole floor squeaks then that is another matter.
I've walked on laminate floors that squeak, but I have no idea of the cause. The responses here will be interesting.
Rich Beckman
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What temujin said about sitting tight on the floor. The way it sounds, your sitting tight on the OSB spacers, but between them it's the floor on an air bridge. Squeek squeek? But with 9 months of summer here in FL, I don't know about radiant floors. Could be some places where ends of the laminate are joining over a gap in the radiant heat setup?
It's not a problem with expansion joints, is it?
In the meantime sprinkle some talc or graphite into the joints to help silence the squeks.
Thanks Temujin, Mike,Just to try and get a better idea if the radiant floor stuff was causing the joint squeak, I laid out some of the laminate flooring directly on the OSB subflor in an area where I have not put the radiant floor spacers and tubes. The only thing between the OSB and the laminate was the thin foam unerlayment. No squeaks.So, I guess even though its dead flat across the top of the spacers it looks like (as you guys suspected) the gaps between spacers result in enough extra deflection to make for squeaks at the laminate floor joints.Any ideas on what to do?
I could lay down another thing layer of thin (1/4inch?) plywood over the top of the spacers and then the foam underlayment and laminate?Or, I could use some kind of leveling compound to level the area between spacers with the top of the spacers? I'm not so sure about the leveling compound as the PEX heats and cools?Thanks -- Gary