Reasons For Vinyl Floor Buckling And Useful Fixing Tips

Vinyl Flooring is indeed a wondrous floor treatment, offering dazzling aesthetics and a promising serviceability at the same time. And while Vinyl Flooring might absolutely be the most lucrative flooring choice, you can ever get for your places, there are a number of unfavorable aspects associated with it, as well.

One common example of such somewhat time and surrounding related or a bit of a maintenance issue is none other but the Buckling Phenomenon of Vinyl Flooring.

Addressing Vinyl Floor Buckling

We’ll begin dealing with this major concern of Vinyl Flooring with a sound idea about what exactly it is, followed by looking for the root causes, before we proceed towards an effective dealing.

What Is Vinyl Floor Buckling?

Vinyl Floor Buckling, in a technical sense, is its expansion due to the exposure to heat and contraction when the surrounding temperature drops down. Both the contraction and expansion of the flooring results in its lifting and eventually buckling.

The rest of the phenomenon goes thus

• Buckling most happens to those Vinyl Planks which are located closer to the openings, i.e. windows, due to the fact that they are more exposed to the constant change of both lower and higher temperatures.

• Buckling gives rise to a defiled (uneven) and raised profile of the Vinyl Flooring, making it unpleasant to look at and not even safe to use anymore, in certain worst case scenarios.

What Causes Vinyl Floor Buckling/ Lifting?

Now that we are well aware of the Buckling phenomenon, it’s time to learn about those factors that serve as generating aspects for this very real yet curable concern.

The reasons can be either the controbale ones (such as installation and maintenance) or those that we cannot restrain from happening (like atmospheric conditions), in the first place.

1. Faulty Installation

Getting a misconducted installation for your Vinyl Flooring is one of the most adverse ways which can make your flooring upgrade go totally wrong. That’s because it’s meant to give rise to the bending of Vinyl Planks after a short time span. Most commonly, an improper installation is the one in which there isn’t enough spacing left for the Vinyl Planks to expand and contract properly, which results in the bending and eventually lifting of the Vinyl Planks.

2. Subfloor Defects

Vinyl Flooring, while not improvising a strict requirement for the leveling of subfloor, still asks for a reasonable prep involving both decluttering and evening out of the subfloor. And not ensuring doing so eventually ends up in a wrong flooring installation with seams present amidst the planks and the end result is ultimately the buckling.

3. Temperature Fluctuation

Change in temperature isn’t really a factor that can be controlled, however the extent of damage is often huge. When vinyl flooring gets exposed to repetitive temperature change or constant heat or cold, they tend to get expanded and contracted, eventually lifting up and being buckled.

4. Moisture Damage

Moisture present within the subfloors turns out to be the most disastrous factor for Vinyl Flooring. Besides it even has the tendency to reach the flooring by penetrating through the plank seams. In addition to that, damaged or perforated vapor barriers can also serve as a medium for groundwater to reach Vinyl flooring and cause buckling.

5. Improper Maintenance

Vinyl flooring which is not taken care of the proper way is highly prone to buckling. Mishandling can include several aspects such as improper maintenance impact damage, excessive dragging of furniture or other heavy objects and multiple other factors, all of which are the most likely to end up in buckling of the Vinyl flooring.

6. Substandard Adhesion 

Using low quality or cheap adhesive during installation is another major mistake that serves as an origin for Vinyl Floor buckling. And while doing so might seem somewhat of a money-saving factor, the adverse consequences of using a substandard adhesion can actually cost you more than primary cost. That’s because planks fitted with a low-quality adhesive are the most prone to both moisture and heat damage and eventually buckling.

Tackling With Vinyl Floor Buckling

Next up, is an easy and effective way in which you can deal with the Vinyl Floor buckling.

How To Fix Vinyl Plank Flooring That Is Lifting

For Click And Lock Vinyl Flooring

• Start by identifying the closest wall of the affected (buckled) area, the planks there need to be removed.

• Proceed by taking out the molding around the wall’s parameter so as to remove the planks easily and eventually reach up to the one that requires replacement.

• When you are done with taking the molding, start lifting the first planet that is closest to the wall. Work your way with removing the planks till you manage to make your way towards the damaged plank.

• Take out the damaged one, followed by installing the new ones and ensure a firm securing of them. Do go for the same sized one as the previous one.

• Finish off by installing all the planks back in the place with a stabilizing interlocking and do consider replacing the molding for a more well-finished look.

For Glue Down Vinyl Flooring

• Glue down Vinyl Planks come with the greatest advantage of a significantly convenit and quicker repairing as well as replacement, since there is no need to take out the surrounding planks and you only need to work with the exact buckled one(s).

• For removal, you’ll need to reach under the damaged plank with the help of a flathead screwdriver and proceed within a yanking moment to take it out.

• Take out all the dried-out adhesive from both the subfloor and the back side of the Vinyl Plank with the help of a flathead scrapper. Besides, if the adhesive seems critical to take off, you can rub the desired area with a cotton ball soaked in Mineral spirit, which will soften out the adhesive, making it easy to scrape off.

• If there is no major or structural damage present on the plank, then all you need to do is to reinstall it and you’ll be good to go. Just have it dry thoroughly before the application of the new adhesive (a high-quality one, this time!). Finish off by placing the plank back to its specified spot securely.

Useful Maintenance Tips To Avoid Vinyl Floor Buckling

Take these preventive measures into account during both the installation and maintenance of your Vinyl Flooring and you won’t be coming across the unsettling concern of Vinyl Floor Buckling.

• Ensure the usage of a high-quality adhesive and most importantly a thorough and proper application during installation, so as to not cause any loosening of the planks or worsen the situation to the point of buckling.

• Do ensure rolling your Vinyl Flooring with a 100 lb roller post the installation as this will secure the flooring and the adhesive, thus not allowing for any dislocation or buckling.

• Treat your windows with either a glass tint or a UV film in order to eliminate the harshness of sunlight reaching to the Vinyl Planks. You can also consider adding thick blackout curtains for an additional temperature-cutting dressing of the windows.

• During installation, ensure at least a distance of a quarter-inch between the wall and the planks to allow natural expansion and contraction.

• Always install Vinyl Flooring over a clean, leveled and well-prepped subfloor and most importantly the one with no moisture problems.

• Opt for waterproof Vinyl Plank Flooring since that comes with a relatively more resistance against all kinds of moisture damage, whether it’s internal or external.

• Do consider cleaning and maintaining your Vinyl Flooring, in accordance with the manufacturer-recommended methods, so as to make it last long and free from potential concerns.

FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Stop My Vinyl Floor From Lifting?

One useful tip in this regard is to roll the floor right after its installation. Once you’re done with the glue-down laying of Vinyl Flooring, go for rolling the floor with the help of a 100 lb roller. This will not just secure the floor in a perfect and sustainable way but will also ensure a thorough adhesion for added stability. And most importantly using a roller will prevent Vinyl Floor buckling over time.

How Do You Fix Buckling Vinyl Plank Flooring?

You can do that easily by replacing the buckled Vinyl Planks. Start by gently removing the buckled Vinyl Planks while also removing all of the existing adhesives. Next step is the application of the new adhesive and putting back of the removed Vinyl Planks into specified places. Using a roller, ensure that your Vinyl Plank flooring has been accurately adhered and this also involves smoothing out of the buckled area. Lastly, you can put some bricks or other heavy weights on the planks for applying necessary pressure, till the adhesive dries out completely.

What Are The Main Reasons For Vinyl Floor Buckling?

Heat and sunlight are the major factors that cause Vinyl Flooring to expand and contract. Expansion takes place in warmer atmospheric conditions and eventually results in buckling of the floor. In the same way, the flooring gets contracted in colder atmospheric conditions causing gaps to appear between two tiles. In addition to that, excessive exposure to moisture can also give rise to Vinyl Floor Buckling.

How Do You Get Water Out Of Vinyl Plank Flooring?

You can utilize fans, heaters and at best dehumidifiers for this purpose. Leave them on for a few days over the flooring, so as to let maximum evaporation take place, till all the residue is gone. Apart from that, if the situation is somewhat worse, which means if water has penetrated through the Vinyl Planks, then you’ll need to take them out and dry the entire area with the help of equipment.

Will Vinyl Flooring Warp?

Warping in terms of Vinyl Flooring, is actually its expansion that takes place due to the change in temperature. Vinyl Flooring warping can occur in multiple ways and at various points, such as at the time of installation, if the Vinyl Planks are subjected to direct sunlight. In addition to that, there are major chances of Vinyl Floor warping if there is a glue-down laying of Vinyl Flooring in the presence of water spillage.

How To Get Ripples Out Of Vinyl Flooring?

The best way to do this is to ensure an even application of adhesive on the boards/tiles of Vinyl Flooring. Start by rolling up half of the Vinyl flooring, followed by spreading the adhesive over it in a figure-eight motion with the help of a notched trowel. The next step is to roll the Vinyl back down and start flattening out all the wrinkles and creases using a vinyl roller and by proceeding towards edges from the center. Do the same on the other half side of Vinyl.