hardwood flooring buckling

[padsi1975]

Hi
I had solid oak floors laid about 3 years ago. We have had problems with them buckling ever since. Can't revert to the builder who laid them as he is no longer in the country. There appears to be two problems. They are laid too tightly (no room to expand) and part of the floor is laid on a concrete floor (in the kitchen extension). The buckling started in the doorway between kitchen and dining room and is spreading in each direction (into kitchen and dining room). I have had a number of people come in to look at it and the general consensus seems to be that it needs to be pulled up. A builder who came in today said the same thing, said he would pull up part of the floor as it was laid too tightly and would then relay it. My husband thinks that this will be very difficult to do as the planks are tongue and groove and glued together. I'm in a quandary now. Do I risk wrecking the whole floor (it covers the entire ground floor) or do I wait? I think if I wait the floor will eventually pop. Any experts out there with any advice please? Thanks!

[PigletJohn]

the floor is damp and there is no dpm under the wood (unless they are getting wet from above, e.g. a leaking radiator). They will have to come up.

If they are laid floating, then after the first row has come up it will be easy to take up the rest (but they might be warped)

If they have been nailed down through the tongue, it will be more wearisome and there will be more damage.

Oh - you said they are glued. So there will be damage taking them up.

[padsi1975]

Thanks PigletJohn. Is leaving them and hoping for the best an even worse option?

[PigletJohn]

Yes, it will just get worse.

[PigletJohn]

But if as I believe, the swelling is caused by water, you have to find out where the water is coming from and fix it.

[Twrch62]

I would suggest getting a flooring specialist to look rather than a builder, wood will expand and contract even if the sub-floor is within the moisture limits. The flooring should also not have been laid through doorways without an expansion gap.If its buckling in each direction this could well be the reason, and depending how bad the buckling is, could be cured by cutting the board in the doorway and fitting an expansion (doorway)strip. Difficult to say for certain without seeing though.