Why your floor might be showing problems

Modern floors look great and can last many years when installed correctly. If you see gaps, lifting, buckling or seams opening, the cause is usually one of three things: building movement, moisture, or how the floor was installed. Product defects are uncommon.

Quick facts

• Building movement (ground, slab or timber subfloor shifts): ~35–60% of cases. Even small movements (tens of millimetres on some sites, or a few mm on timber floors) can affect the finish.
• Moisture (leaks, damp slab or trapped moisture): ~25–45% of cases. Water weakens adhesives and materials and causes lifting or bubbling.
• Installation or workmanship issues (wrong adhesive, poor levelling): ~10–25% of cases.
• Manufacturing defects: rare (<2%).
• No product is indestructible.
• No product nor installation method will suit every site.
• Skilled and experienced installers can minimise however not eliminate all risk where site conditions are extreme (seen or unseen). Suit movement, moisture and local conditions play the major role in whether a floor performs long term.

What to ask your installer

• Did you test the slab for moisture (in‑slab RH) and record the results?
• Was the subfloor checked for flatness (e.g. 3 mm over 3 m) and corrected if needed?
• What moisture prevention techniques were applied?
• Is the product installed to the manufacturers guide and have you allowed for local site conditions?

Important consideration point

Proper site preparation (moisture testing, levelling, correct underlay or remediation) is usually far cheaper than fixing problems later. Rectification always costs significantly more than doing the preparation correctly the first time.
Modern floors perform well when the site is prepared and installation follows best practice.

Choose the right product and an experienced installer, make sure the site is tested and prepared, and your floor should give you many years of trouble‑free use.

Notes:

Listed above is a cautious estimate based on: Australasian Timber Flooring Association (ATFA) / Griffith industry testing, AS standards and guidance, manufacturer warranty exclusions and long installer experience..

Causes often overlap (for example moisture can cause both adhesive failure and substrate movement).