Expert: maura macaluso - 7/7/2009

Question
We bought a new townhome with hardwood floors not too long
ago. After about a year of living here, we noticed that our
hardwoods started sounding like they were coming up, i.e.
you could hear the adhesive separating. It is only in about
5 or 6 spots, but it is very annoying and we are wanting to
sell our home. What could have caused this and what can I
do. We live in North Carolina if that helps with humidity
and climate.

Answer
Hi Jeff,  

Real old-fashioned Hardwood floors are put down using nails but some newer hardwood floors are put in using adhesives.  Floors are intalled over a subfloor which gives added support to a floor but it is a rather big task to take up the flooring to fix or repair the subflooring.  Good news for you is that it is only happening in a few areas.  This can most likely be fixed easily.  You will need to go to a flooring store and buy some top notch quality flooring adhesive.  Then you will need to buy a large gauge hypodermic needle.  Simply fill in areas where your adhesive may have loosened up over time. Allow to dry without disturbancs according to the manufacturers guidelines. Humidity can be a definite factor as it can cause the bords to swell and pull away from the glue. Most likely as happens when lots of townhouses are built quickly is that short-cuts may have been taken.  When laying in a floor(nailless) in addition to needing to put adhesive between boards, the boards also need to be knocked(tamped) together to lessen any gaps.  This may not have been done or may not have been done well enough. It also could have occured because an inferior adhesive was used. You say that this is a new house.  Before attempting any do-it-yourself repairs, check your warranty because if this issue is covered you may void your warranty by doing it yourself. thanks for the question and good luck with your project.