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I had vinyl plank flooring installed in my house about 18 months ago. It's a one story house, on a concrete slab (in FLA). The installer had removed the old plank flooring in the living room and put down a base of plywood to make the floor level with the back half which was tile floor (from my front door to the back patio door is sort of one big room, the "great room" notion).

Last Spring there was a spot that felt a little squishy when I stepped on it but a person I knew told me it was just from the concrete expanding and contracting with the cold weather. So I just let it go.

Recently it got way worse and one of the planks actually started to bow upward. At first I attributed it to the cold wave we'd recently had but when it got warmer, it didn't go back down. So I called the installer who came right over and took a couple of planks out and we found the plywood was warped and full of mold.

I'm not sure what to do next and was going to call my insurance company for advice because I just don't trust anyone these days. But then it struck me, ask the good people of S.I. so here I am.

No water has ever been spilled on that floor. Even when I mop it, I use a damp mop and then I wipe it dry with a microfiber cloth.

But even if water had been spilled, it shouldn't make it's way through the planks because they're that tongue and groove. The planks J. took out were not damaged at all and the edges were in perfect condition. The only issue with them was the mold that on the backs of them from the plywood.

It's not near any of the plumbing lines but the dishwasher isn't real far away so if there had been a leak, it could have travelled to the low spot and then sat. But that doesn't work in my mind because the area is no longer wet so I believe it was a one time event, not something that's still going on.

Any ideas? Advice?

Also, I'll Google it but I need to clean the area and am not sure of the safest way to do it. I've been spraying it with bleach water all weekend so I think the mold spores are probably dead by now but I still want to be careful and not get it in any of my vacuum cleaners or shop vacs, etc. I'm guessing I should just get on my hands and knees with a bucket of soapy water and wash it with a rag that I then throw out? (And I'd wear a mask).

Josie, we are installing click-together- vinyl planking in our basement and we have a wet/moist slab due to the heavy clay and high water table in our area. We were advised to put down a heavy plastic barrier (think black construction trash bag). Did your contractor put one down under the wood? If not, that may be the source of your trouble. If your planking can be un-installed and clicked together again, I would lay down the plastic layer all over and redo the plywood and planking over it.

If your contractor didn't install this on the first go around, I would argue with him that it's on him to reinstall and eat the cost as it's basic knowledge you're supposed to put this stuff down first in damp areas. I would argue that all of Florida is a damp area . I mean, the guy at home depot we talked to told us to do this. If a clerk at home depot knows this, a professional contractor should too.

Good luck and I'm really sorry you're having this trouble- MOLD IS SO GROSS! Hopefully you can just replace the moldy stuff and put the barrier down. Nice thing is, materials should be minimal- the barrier is cheap. AND the planks are already cut to shape. And you'll have the molding too already cut and ready to knock back in.

Didnhe put down plywood or particle board?
The reason I ask is plywood is a solid pices and should not warp easily. Particle board on the other hand will get soft and fail when moisture gets to it.

You are dealing with 2 issues here. One is where is the moisture coming from and this is the key issue because until that is resolved most floors will fail unless its ceramic tile on concrete. And yes if you relay that floor or have it done a barrier needs to go down first. I would also demand the subfloor be replaced and the whole thing painted with killz before replacing it.

I’m a bit surprised that they put plywood under rather than use concrete leveler to even the floor.
Wood is wood, and it doesn’t take much moisture to make it bend and wrap and mold. By their very nature floors are at a low-point in the room, where any liquid will/can accumulate.
Tongue and groove vinyl is not waterproof, but "better quality" vinyl flooring and tounge-and-grove systems are more water resistant than others. I placed vinyl flooring in my basement, and part of the selection process was that they type I selected had a high water-resistance level, but the salesman made it clear that it was not safe to leave water on the flooring – that it would eventually leak through.

I'll also add concrete isn't waterproof. It will pass through any water vapor both directions which the plywood will readily absorb. Untreated wood + moisture = mold. Especially in FL. I would have expected sleepers or a product like Dricore to allow for an air gap or a vapor barrier betweeen the plywood and concrete. The NWFA guidelines for a floating floor over slab on grade or below, requires a vapor barrier and a double layer of plywood (glued or nailed together).

Well, I've gotten nowhere with all this. The guy is coming to fix it today and I'm just hoping it was a one time thing.
As luck would have it, I'm getting new kitchen appliances installed tomorrow so if there's a small leak on one of those hoses, hopefully we'll see it.

I don't think I described my flooring quite the right way but here's part of the description for it:

"100% waterproof; can be installed in most rooms of your home or business - above, on or below grade.

Can be installed over most existing surfaces including tile, wood, concrete and vinyl

Pre-attached underlayment provides a floor that's warm, comfortable and quiet underfoot.

Drop-and-lock installation system makes it fast and easy for both Pros and DIYers to install.

Ultra-fresh treatment inhibits the growth of odor and stain causing mold and mildew on the attached underlayment and top surface layer of the flooring."

Because part of the room had old flooring removed, the installer did put down plywood (the real stuff).

I don't know how thick the concrete pad foundations are but I don't see how water could get through them unless there's a crack. It's all just such a puzzle to me because when they build, they first create a wooden structure, lay the plumbing inside it and make all the connections and then pour the concrete over it. From what I was told, the only way to access the plumbing pipes under the house is with a jackhammer.

I hope today's repair solves the issue but if I find an issue anywhere else, I'm going to call my insurance agent and ask her to recommend an expert to come in to assess it. Thanks for all the responses - I really appreciate people's input and thoughts, it helps me think it through.

Things like this make me wish I wasn't alone because I'm an external decision maker and if I don't have someone to knock ideas around with, I just spiral into paralysis. So I appreciate all of you more than you know!

WOW! Is that really how they do things in FL? Jackhammering to solve a plumbing problem (that WILL happen... hopefully later than sooner...) doesn't seem practical.

Concrete though, is naturally porous. It sets and creates CO2 as it reacts and those create bubbles within the structure. Those tiny little bubbles make it porous. I'm really surprised that your contractor didn't put an underlayment down. Even if your flooring had the "water lock" base layer, the cracks are still prone to water coming through. Plus, the water proof base on the vinyl doesn't protect the wood underneath.

I hope your contractor puts down the waterproofing this time. Congrats on the new appliances!

MIgander:

WOW! Is that really how they do things in FL? Jackhammering to solve a plumbing problem (that WILL happen... hopefully later than sooner...) doesn't seem practical.

That is precisely how a leak is repaired in a slab foundation. I know, because I had to have it done to my house. Super detective plumbing company came with high-tech equipment to find the leak. Found it and had to jackhammer out the foundation to get to the leaking pipe. Fix the pipe and refill the concrete. I had to replace the flooring in that room as well. Luckily, it was a tiny bathroom.

Slab foundations are good for some things, and really bad for plumbing repairs. The good is that you don't have wet crawl spaces and wood rot. But, if you have a leak, it's an expensive repair. I'm in North Carolina, so it's not just Florida.

Josiep,

I'm sorry you're going through this. I want LVP in my entire house as well, but am scared about whether my slab is even remotely level. My house was built in 1983, BTW. Also, the cost to do my entire house is cost-prohibitive.

That said, I agree with the others that you need to investigate this further. Unless and until you find the source of the leak/water, I fear this will be an ongoing problem.

I guess I'll have to live with my lovely (NOT!) carpet for a little longer...this scares me to death!

Guy came Thursday to do the repair. The mold was only on the top of the plywood so it did not come from underneath. Everything including the plywood was dry. The floor planks were undamaged (but we discarded them because they can't be put down again but they were not warped at all). While that's good news in the sense that there's no issue with the plumbing (which is encased in concrete), I still have no clue where that came from. A friend stayed here with her little boy for a few days while I was away once and maybe he spilled his drink or something and it sat there long enough that it was able to seep down through the floor planks but I don't honestly know. Because of the location right in the major walkway between my bedroom, living room and kitchen, I can say with absolute certainty that there was never water sitting on the floor when I was home because I couldn't have possibly missed seeing it.

Anyway, he replaced the plywood and put down new planking so I'm all set. Total cost was $400 but that included an extra box of flooring for me to keep on hand in case I need them in the future.

[This message edited by josiep at 3:45 PM, Saturday, January 28th]

I want LVP in my entire house as well, but am scared about whether my slab is even remotely level. My house was built in 1983, BTW. Also, the cost to do my entire house is cost-prohibitive.

TooTrusting

My daughter and her inlaws also had the same flooring installed in their houses and have had zero issues. I encourage you to go for it. I've lived in a lot of houses and this is my favorite flooring of all time. It's so easy to keep clean - dirt doesn't seem to stick to it at all and I just wipe up spots with a damp paper towel between cleanings. And even the cleanings are so simple - I have a microfiber mop that I use. Sometimes I use it wet but sometimes I just spray a mist of vinegar water and use it dry. I never have to worry about yellow waxy buildup, streaks, dullness, etc. It looks so natural and I don't have to yell at kids and dogs to be careful not to scratch it. I truly believe this might be the greatest invention since sliced bread. I've never been good at keeping my house tidy or superclean (I fall in the "it's clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy" category) and so I was always self-conscious about how my floors looked cuz clean them one day and they looked awful by the next day already. And this might sound silly but when I get up in the morning and walk out of the bedroom, I love seeing the nice floor that looks clean even when I know I haven't swept or mopped in a week or more. To me, that's absolute heaven. :)

I don't know anything about any other brands because my daughter did her homework before she chose this particular flooring so I just took advantage of her efforts but I'm sure she chose wisely. The kind I got is exclusive to Home Depot but the company might supply other stores with the same but differently named product. I went with a rich brown tone because I don't think it ever goes out of style but my daughter is into the popular grey look so she went with the grey tone. Lifeproof Trail Oak 6 MIL x 8.7 in. W Waterproof Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring (20.06 sq. ft./case).

For frame of reference, I had half of my house done, so approx. 1000 sq. feet. Installer had to remove the old vinyl plank flooring from probably 600 sq. feet and lay plywood down; the other area has tile and I didn't want the dust or expense of having that removed and I didn't want a threshhold between the 2 areas so I had to make them the same height. He also put in new threshholds in all 6 doorways and a patio door. My bill was around $6,000. My biggest regret is I didn't have the bedrooms done.

The floor underneath doesn't have to be totally level because the planks sort of float. That's why they couldn't be installed over the plank flooring that was in the living room (and is in the master bedroom). But it can be installed just fine over the tile flooring even though it's not completely level. I think the big criteria is that whatever's under it can't move or shift.

And now, I must face the music. It was nice to sit here and talk about something other than what I have to do now. You see, BestBuy never showed up with my appliances yesterday. Long story and it's not over yet but somewhere along the line, they canceled my order but never bothered to tell me. But were still sending me text messages to remind me of my delivery appointment - I got one every single day this week.

I am beyond upset about this and am not sure what to do. I've called so many numbers but I end up more frustrated because no one cares or can do anything. I don't know yet how it will be resolved because they keep telling me that once the system kicks it out, I can't get the items at the same prices I did when I ordered them in November. And that is a major problem for me because I spent a lot of time researching and pricing and I chose Best Buy because their price was a bit better than the others. However, to buy it all again at today's prices, it'll cost me nearly $2,000 more and that's not fair. It's not fair at all. Especially since I paid for it all in November. I placed the order in good faith, I paid for my order in good faith and I am not a happy camper right about now. But, in the meantime, all the food from my freezer and frig is in coolers and needs to be put back. AND, because I was never going to have to clean the stove or oven again, I made a big batch of bacon in the oven yesterday and fried potstickers on the stove so now I've got to go clean them.

I swear, there's a huge sign on my forehead that says SUCKER because every single thing I've tried to do to this house has gone south on me. It wouldn't take much for me to pack it in and move back North right about now because I am not particularly happy here and beginning to lose hope that I ever will be.

OK, push the chair back and stand up, josie, you can do it. Just get it done and over with. But my hands are already cold and don't want to handle all those frozen items. And my back hurts and my left arm is still weak and sore from the tendinitis and the freezer is a side-by-side so it's a royal pain in the neck to put things in and to take things out. When I emptied it yesterday, I was so happy I wasn't going to have to deal with the narrow space anymore. Ha! that's what I get for being all full of myself.

I'm ready for all my "comeuppances" to be done with.

Yanno what's making me the maddest? That I'm wasting time being mad! :)

I have vinyl plank flooring on my ground-floor on a hall that’s used to get from the bathroom to the patio-area where I have a jacuzzi. When I described the intended use to the salesman he told me that there was really no "waterproof" flooring. There was water-resistant, and that better quality "waterproof" would more likely be waterproof than cheaper. Actually he told me that out-of-the-package the boards were waterproof, but once you cut the ends or sides to fit and the junctions between boards not so much.
A nick or dent in installation can cut the water-proof layer. The tongue-and-groove is only as waterproof as it’s tight, and even then it needs to be extra tight. Simply the fluctuation caused by motion and heat-changes can impact how watertightness of the groove. He warned me that if I were to let water lay on the floor for an extended period the odds were high it would leak through.
This is why I was surprised about the plywood as an underlay.

My "solution" is that everyone knows to mop the floor if they walk wet and drip on the floor.

This might also explain why the top-layer of wood got wet. Maybe the exact junction at THAT point passed water. Maybe because of heat, the installer was tired or slight unseen factory-fault. Hopefully the new flooring will fix that.

Josiep,

Thanks for your info about your flooring! I've got 2 senior chihuahuas, and my dogs are the top reason I want LVP flooring. Little stinkers have accidents (or on-purposes) on the carpet. Plus, I have HORRIBLE allergies and carpet is the worst for that.

Did you have an independent installer do the installation? The installation seems to cost more than the flooring! I had LVP put in the kitchen of my former house and the installation cost as much, if not more, than the flooring itself. They add in all kinds of extra fees to move furniture, etc. and that drives the cost up. They did have to remove a failing tile floor, so there was a cost for that. But, just the cost per s.f. for installation really added up.

I have not had an estimate to have my entire house done yet. I've read about the quotes people got for homes with similar s.f. to mine and they were over $15K. My house is roughly 1600 s.f. I should probably just bite the bullet and at least get some estimates...

As to your other issue, I HATE Best Buy. They did the same thing to me with a phone I ordered on Black Friday a few years ago. I got the same messages about delivery, etc. until about 3 AM on the day it was supposed to arrive. Then, it was suddenly not coming. Like you, I spent HOURS on the phone, trying to find out when or IF my phone was ever coming. In the end, I never got the phone, and my carrier CHARGED me the activation fee for a phone I never received! It took months for me to unravel this mess, and I've never shopped for anything at Best Buy again.

I'd file a complaint with your state's Attorney General for unfair trade practices. I'd also file one with the FTC for the same thing. Seems to me that they should have to honor the prices you PAID in November. That IS totally unfair, and bordering on bait & switch, which is a crime. File those complaints, and I'm betting you'll get their attention AND your appliances. Especially from the FTC. You should be able to file both complaints online. I filed a complaint with the FCC about a cell carrier, and BOOM - got a call from their executive office to try and fix my issue. The feds don't play - especially when it comes to unfair trade practices with consumers.

On the bright side, I'm glad that your repair went well and there wasn't a larger issue uncovered.