Several vinyl issues have been called into us within the last two weeks. In the case of bubbles in a sheet vinyl installation in a new home the dealer got the complaint within four months. There is a bubble in the center of the floor about 8 feet off the wall where the seam in the underlayment would be. He was going to cut the floor open until we questioned what was under the floor. This section of the house is built over a crawl space with a dirt floor. The consumer told him they had a water leak not long ago and there is no polyethylene vapor barrier over the dirt in the crawl space. In this case the likely cause of the bubble is moisture trapped under the floor with a vapor build up that is trying to escape through the seam in the underlayment. Before the floor can be fixed the cause has to be corrected. The first step is to put a vapor barrier down over the dirt. This has to be done for all wood flooring but it should be done with all flooring materials that could be affected by moisture vapor and pressure; which includes sheet vinyl and laminate. Once the cause it corrected the floor can be cut open, moisture readings taken and the floor repaired in this area. The dealer did not cause the problem. The water leak and unabated moisture migration into the subfloor caused the problem. Be aware of what’s under the floor you’re installing over.
The next case has a loose lay vinyl flooring giving a dealer fits. He has five claims all for the same problem; small rips in the vinyl. He said he can take the vinyl, and with little effort, rip it. No other product like this he has used does the same thing. He has not submitted the product to us for testing yet but we will test it and compare it to similar products to determine if what he is experiencing is a defect. Chances are that if you have five claims in a row on the same product for the same thing the product is the problem. Experience should tell you that this is not normal, it never occurs and if the manufacturer is running away from it they have a problem.
A shrinking vinyl plank floor in a commercial installation is plaguing the flooring contractor and building owner. The manufacturer is denying any liability even after we proved through testing that the material indeed shrinks. Fortunately, we have some of the best technical talent in the industry, in this case and expert in vinyl materials analysis, who was able to irrefutably prove the vinyl, was a problem. This issue has come up several times with this type material and in each case the vinyl has indeed shrunk. It is generally associated with a reaction to conditions in the substrate and a weakness in the processing of the vinyl. This was an imported vinyl plank floor and the controls on some of these materials have a tendency to vary.
In the next case a 12 x 12 inch square VCT (Vinyl Composition Tile) was installed over an age old 9 x 9 inch VAT (Vinyl Asbestos Tile) on a concrete slab that was glued down with cut back adhesive. About a year later black cut back adhesive was seen oozing up between the edges of the newly installed vinyl tile. The cause is moisture trapped under the tile activating the old cut back and causing it to liquefy and move up through the edges of the tile. This condition was pre-existing but because moisture vapor could volatize (evaporate) without restriction it did not create a problem. The new tile over the old tile trapped the moisture and caused the failure. This will be a very costly and involved remediation that will include asbestos abatement.
If you need help call us. And call us about our moisture and substrate seminar in late October. 706-370-5888.
Author: Lewis G. Migliore
LGM and Associates – The Floorcovering Experts