Just had a plank of that new rigid core click stuff snap clean in half during a fit

I was finishing a small office job in Springfield yesterday, putting in the last few rows of this fancy waterproof laminate. The stuff is supposed to be tough, right? I went to click a 3-foot piece into the end of the row, gave it a good tap with my pull bar and a rubber mallet, and it just cracked right down the middle. Not at the seam, but through the actual plank. I think the locking mechanism was just a hair too tight and the material was too brittle to flex. Had to pull up the whole last row to get the broken piece out, which meant recutting a new plank and starting over. Cost me about 45 minutes on a job I thought was in the bag. Has anyone else run into this with the thicker rigid core products? Wondering if it's a bad batch or just a design flaw with that specific brand.

4 comments

4 Comments

hugos466d ago

Did you check if the subfloor was perfectly flat in that spot? Sometimes a tiny high point or low spot you can't even see can put too much pressure on a rigid plank when you're trying to lock it. I've seen that cause a clean break like you described, especially with the thicker stuff that doesn't bend as easy.

drew_jones316d ago

Spot on, @hugos46. It's crazy how a tiny hidden flaw can break something that seems so solid.

river9526d ago

Sounds like my last relationship, honestly.

sean8546d ago

Yeah, "seems so solid" is my whole life story. @hugos46 is right, I've definitely forced a plank and heard that sad crack.