A depressing question about flooring

[SallyWho]

A thought occurred to me the other day. I bought this house last June, and the seller had installed wood laminate floors himself. It's not really an awful job, but it's not flawless either- looks great so long as you don't look too closely at certain edges around doorways or kitchen cabinets. My problem is moisture. I had a water leak from the fridge shortly after moving in, and my dog has had some health problems that cause her to have accidents in the house (and she simply will. not. crate.). I've noticed that in the spot by the fridge and around the area where my dog tends to pee, the flooring creaks a little and a couple of the seams between planks aren't quite flush anymore. It's not like there's gaps or any significant buckling going on (yet), but if I'm about to put a big ol' fish tank on that floor, there's bound to be spills. Plus, deciding later to replace the floors would mean a heckuva hassle to move the tank. Should I delay my build (that I've been waiting 8 years for) for several more months while I save money and replace my floors now, or just cross my fingers that the flooring won't buckle and get ugly too fast? I mean, the floor isn't in terrible shape or anything, but it's already showing tiny itsy bitsy signs of future problems after only ~ 18 months (it was installed a few months before I bought the house). And if I do decide I have to delay my build in order to replace lots of flooring ($$$), what's the best kind of flooring to replace it with, that won't bankrupt me? I'm not exactly rich. It has to be either water resistant or waterproof, be able to withstand significant weight without cracking or leaving dents, and not be school-cafeteria-level ugly. Thoughts? I'm really hoping not to have to replace my floors, but I want to do what's right for my home and my future tank.

 

[ZAB]

My friends had a leak from there bathroom.and it messed up there floors ..
There house insurance took care of the water leak and replaced the flooring..if that doesn't work out for you..I just redid my floors in our house..some of the big box stores..have 6 12 and some times 24 month financing.

 

[KJAG]

There’s different types of laminate. If you’re noticing lifting you likely have a floated tongue and groove laminate which is adhered to particle board which would explain the warping. If you can find the same material, you wouldn’t have to re-do the entire floor, but could come out from the wall to repair. Especially if it’s not glued and nailed, which it probably isn’t. If you can’t find the same material, there’s no way around it. The floors compromised. Worst case, if you can live with the floor being compromised, you can use shims or leveling feet to level the stand.
I have engineered hardwood, glued and nailed upstairs and floated laminate T&G downstairs. The engineered hardwood is more expensive but more resilient. Roughly $4 a sq ft. Not including glue and labor. To answer your question, the engineered HW is more resilient to moisture.

 

[Left Coast DJ]

If you're on a raised foundation, instead of re-doing the entire floor, you can reinforce just the area where you're tank is going with some extra supports posts. And then place a waterproof mat around your tank to keep the small spills and salt creep from damaging the wood.

Or stick to a 40 gallon or less tank.

 

[SallyWho]

My friends had a leak from there bathroom.and it messed up there floors ..
There house insurance took care of the water leak and replaced the flooring..if that doesn't work out for you..I just redid my floors in our house..some of the big box stores..have 6 12 and some times 24 month financing.

I doubt that after a year, and with such minimal damage, I could file an insurance claim. And I know they don't cover dog pee! But that's a good thought for the future.

There’s different types of laminate. If you’re noticing lifting you likely have a floated tongue and groove laminate which is adhered to particle board which would explain the warping. If you can find the same material, you wouldn’t have to re-do the entire floor, but could come out from the wall to repair. Especially if it’s not glued and nailed, which it probably isn’t. If you can’t find the same material, there’s no way around it. The floors compromised. Worst case, if you can live with the floor being compromised, you can use shims or leveling feet to level the stand.

The seller left a couple of extra lengths in the garage- I might look into getting some help to replace the ugliest bits. They're not really that ugly and perhaps I'm overreacting, but I don't want to regret this later. Would adding leveling feet to the stand cause pressure points that could damage the laminate? I've been thinking that somehow raising the stand off the floor might be a good idea so I can dry up any spills, but I'm not sure how to do it.

If you're on a raised foundation, instead of re-doing the entire floor, you can reinforce just the area where you're tank is going with some extra supports posts. And then place a waterproof mat around your tank to keep the small spills and salt creep from damaging the wood.

Or stick to a 40 gallon or less tank.

Got that done already! I feel so accomplished. With the help of an experienced buddy, we added a sistered header to the floor joists under where the tank is going, and used jacks on either end of it. Once I get the tank in place, I'll dive back into the crawlspace and adjust the jacks if needed. Will a waterproof mat cause trouble later on if water manages to wick underneath it? Are there any waterproof mats that I could leave around the tank permanently that wouldn't look stupid?

Thanks for the input, guys! I appreciate it!

 

[KJAG]

I doubt that after a year, and with such minimal damage, I could file an insurance claim. And I know they don't cover dog pee! But that's a good thought for the future.

The seller left a couple of extra lengths in the garage- I might look into getting some help to replace the ugliest bits. They're not really that ugly and perhaps I'm overreacting, but I don't want to regret this later. Would adding leveling feet to the stand cause pressure points that could damage the laminate? I've been thinking that somehow raising the stand off the floor might be a good idea so I can dry up any spills, but I'm not sure how to do it.

Got that done already! I feel so accomplished. With the help of an experienced buddy, we added a sistered header to the floor joists under where the tank is going, and used jacks on either end of it. Once I get the tank in place, I'll dive back into the crawlspace and adjust the jacks if needed. Will a waterproof mat cause trouble later on if water manages to wick underneath it? Are there any waterproof mats that I could leave around the tank permanently that wouldn't look stupid?

Thanks for the input, guys! I appreciate it!

How big is this tank? Without photos I can’t give advice on whether or not a couple lengths of boards will fix your issue.
Do you know what your subfloor is made of? Plywood or particle board?

 

[SallyWho]

How big is this tank? Without photos I can’t give advice on whether or not a couple lengths of boards will fix your issue.
Do you know what your subfloor is made of? Plywood or particle board?

I don't have the tank yet, but it's going to be 120g on a 6' stand (that I still have to build). The subfloor, at least how it looks from the crawlspace, appears to be plywood. I wish I could get a pic of it, but the seams are off by so little that it doesn't show up on camera.

 

[Cubano32]

Vinyl flooring is waterproof

 

[cmcoker]

I had a 120g 4" on laminate in an apartment. Solid sheet of plywood on the base of the stand, I had the thick furniture slider felt pads attached to the bottom. This kept it from being flat on the floor and I could shove the edge of a towel against the bottom to wick away moisture.

Actually had a pipe in the ceiling above the tank spring a leak, so freshwater definitely got under it. When we moved out some time latet, the floor and bottom of the stand didn't have any old or moisture damage so I believe the felt pads helped.

 

[KJAG]

If yourself, or anyone you know, is familiar with flooring, you’ll be able tell if it’s glued or floated by tapping on it. Similar to tapping on Sheetrock to find studs. I’m guessing it’s floated and would personally try to source the same material and replace the damage. Again without photos, it’s hard to give a recommendation. Assuming that leak is fixed?

 

[KJAG]

Vinyl flooring is waterproof

Lol. Sure is. Did you read her post? She’d have to rip up the whole existing floor to do vinyl and install a vapor barrier.

 

[SallyWho]

If yourself, or anyone you know, is familiar with flooring, you’ll be able tell if it’s glued or floated by tapping on it. Similar to tapping on Sheetrock to find studs. I’m guessing it’s floated and would personally try to source the same material and replace the damage. Again without photos, it’s hard to give a recommendation. Assuming that leak is fixed?

Yeah, the fridge leak is fixed. Working on the dog leak. LOL.

 

[SallyWho]

I had a 120g 4" on laminate in an apartment. Solid sheet of plywood on the base of the stand, I had the thick furniture slider felt pads attached to the bottom. This kept it from being flat on the floor and I could shove the edge of a towel against the bottom to wick away moisture.

Actually had a pipe in the ceiling above the tank spring a leak, so freshwater definitely got under it. When we moved out some time latet, the floor and bottom of the stand didn't have any old or moisture damage so I believe the felt pads helped.

That's good to hear! I may go that route, then- plywood under the stand with felt furniture pads.

 

[ZAB]

Why does the dog always get the blam!

 

[KJAG]

Yeah, the fridge leak is fixed. Working on the dog leak. LOL.

I feel you. 14 year old shih tzu who recently decided she goes when and where she wants.

 

[SallyWho]

Why does the dog always get the blam!

She gets the blame because it's just me and her in the house, and I'M not the one ticking on the floor! ;Hilarious
And @Shores805 I feel you. I adopted her from the local Humane Society last December- a heartworm + middle aged ol' girl. The heartworm treatment means she's on cage rest (so I can't leave her outside), and steroids (so she drinks and pees a LOT). Only one more month to go on the treatment before we're done with the steroids and cage rest! I wish she would figure out the potty pads- I'll be the first to admit that she's a little stupid. It's a good thing she's adorable, sweet, and mostly importantly for this night shifter, quiet.

 

[ZAB]

Poor puppy...you sure the roof wasn't leekin..

 

[KJAG]

She gets the blame because it's just me and her in the house, and I'M not the one ******* on the floor! ;Hilarious
And @Shores805 I feel you. I adopted her from the local Humane Society last December- a heartworm + middle aged ol' girl. The heartworm treatment means she's on cage rest (so I can't leave her outside), and steroids (so she drinks and pees a LOT). Only one more month to go on the treatment before we're done with the steroids and cage rest! I wish she would figure out the potty pads- I'll be the first to admit that she's a little stupid. It's a good thing she's adorable, sweet, and mostly importantly for this night shifter, quiet.

Good for you.
Here’s the culprit now. She’ll be squatting on those floors before I even get my coffee going tomorrow , I promise you.

 

[SallyWho]

Poor puppy...you sure the roof wasn't leekin..

Yeah, it's fortunately not the roof! I just got that sucker replaced 6 weeks ago, and I still find puddles in the living room when I get home from work. The little stinker.

 

[SallyWho]

Good for you.
Here’s the culprit now. She’ll be squatting on those floors before I even get my coffee going tomorrow , I promise you.

Awwww, she's adorable!