laminate floor disaster

[thelewisgang]

well, it wasn't a disaster until unbeknown to us the radiator pipe had been leaking & the water trickled down the pipe & under the flooring (no sign of water on the boards at all). Anyway, the insurance company have ok'd it & we are in the process of getting a couple of quotes. Now this might sound a daft question but how do we lift the boards that are down at the moment? We have removed the skirting boards as they were put on after the new floor & theres an expansion gap all round but we can't get one board to shift. Have tried all round (they have not been glued I hasten to add!). Its just that we need to get them lifted asap as the floor has got to be left to dry for several weeks it seems before the new stuff can go down. The laminate we have looks like planks, not the butted together type. If you can help I would be sooooo grateful - thanks.

[Toureman]

Which ever type they are they usually click together and it is quite hard to pull them apart.

The best answer is to get a crow bar or wrecker bar and start prising them up, it might get easier after you have lifted some and you can see how they connect together.

[BillyNoMates]

I agree with Toureman - most modern laminates are the 'click & lock' type and used without glue.

They lock together very tightly and then have probably (if installed correctly), been tightened together with a hammer and block of some sort.

Try to lever up a piece by the edge by the expansion gap. You will need to almost bring it vertical before it will unlock. If you have a problem with the first edge, try the edge at the opposite side of the room. It all depends on which direction the locking has been laid. Once you have one piece up it should be quick and simple.

[PhilLew]

If they are the "click" type then you ned to lift them in the reverse order to which they were laid.

Most people start with whole boards along one wall and end up cutting the boards along the last wall, so look for a wall where the boards are cut length-wise. Lift from the wall edge to about 30� and wiggle it out.

The rest should be easier to come up following the same method.

Good Luck

[thelewisgang]

thank you everyone for your replies. Hopefully we can now see exactly what to do & it has helped us a lot with your suggestions. many thanks