We have floating engineered hardwood floors because of our in-floor heating system. My question is- are they supposed to have soft spots where you sink down as you walk? After 3 months in our new home, I know where to walk so as not to wobble endtables and where the wood will roll. It is also very noisey in the hallway. Is it normal to sink down in some areas and to be stable in others?
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Replies
sound very strange to me, unless the slab underneath it is really uneven.
Is it a concrete slab or poured gypcrete?
p.s. curious about the effectiveness of radiant heat with the floating floor. Seems like the membrane would actually insulate the heat away from you.
It's a poured, self-leveling gypcrete. Haven't had the main level heat on yet, but we are assured by the architect that it'll be fine. We live in Northern Wisconsin and were unfamiliar with it. We asked various heating guys and were given the OK. The basement in-floor is in cement and really kept the house nice and warm during construction last winter- even with lots of unfinished wall gaps. I'm wondering if it's normal to have the wood flooring sink underfoot when walking on it on the main level.
Have you put a level on the floor? Are there humps in the flooring due to moisture intake and you are pushing them down, or are there dips in the gypcrete? If the flooring is pushing up, it may mean that the floor was installed improperly, without the proper amount of expansion room at the perimiter. Either way it is a problem your contractor should address.
Edited 8/30/2006 8:16 pm ET by woodroe