Laminate flooring in my lobby was fitted over 20 years ago. Recently, I have noticed an abundane of silverfish sitting on the laminate and exiting from underneath the laminate during the night. I read that silverfish thrive in damp and humid conditions. Would it be damp enough under the laminate flooring to sustain a community of silverfish?
Hi Tom. Do you have a damp course in the porch or any heating? Laminate will trap moisture below it, and induce moisture from the subsoil if no damp course.
Your subfloor is likely damp or you’ve had water get under the floor and trapped by the laminate underlay Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
We moved into the property in 2019. I do know from a receipt I found in the deeds to the house that the laminate was fitted in 1999. I don't know the history of the house, so I don't know whether an underlayment/DPM was fitted or not. There are now small gaps between the laminate where the silverfish pop up during the night. When I walk on the laminate it creaks like the clappers. Sealing up the gaps with tape has significantly reduced the noise and stopped the silverfish from popping up. As the laminate is 22 years old, I guess there's no alternative but to rip up the laminate and replace. There is heating in the porch but it's rarely switched on during the winter. Is 22 years a good innings for laminate flooring?
Jeeez. Sounds like a scene from a horror movie. Yes 22 years Is pretty good for laminate. Rip out, test the slab for moisture prep and lay new floor Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
60 years old prob no damp proof membrane under it Pour a unit of ardex NA on the concrete Then a Coat of ardex DPM1c new laminate or LVT
Thank you to all contributors for your comments. Today the laminate was lifted. It wasn't laminate but some kind of thick Scandinavian wood which had been glued together and was incredibly difficult to remove. There was no DPM or vapour layer - instead the fitter had used the packaging the wood came in! - which included an underlayment of polythene! I attach a photo. When it was lifted the hallway smelt extremely musty. No evidence of silverfish!
Absolutely no idea - it was fitted a good 20 years before we moved in. I did discover a receipt for the work. The price of the flooring was £650 (1999 price) without fitting. You would have thought that having spent so much money on the flooring they would have purchased an underlay - not so.
Yes definitely is strange but you do get some that think if the floor is flat enough then there is no need for underlay
