When it comes to flooring, laminate is not particularly prone to failure or damage. There are, however, various ways that a laminate floor can warp, and various reasons as to why. Here, we’ll take a look at the phenomenon referred to as peaking. A laminate floor that is peaking will seem to be rising, as if there is something underneath it. The effect is, honestly, sort of disturbing. Many folks will think that something is wrong with their foundation, or that water has somehow gotten underneath their laminate floor, but that’s rarely the case.

The Causes Of Peaking

Your laminate floor might be peaking for a few reasons. If you want it fixed right the first time, you’ll make knowing exactly what’s happening your top priority. Many people assume that whatever affected their friend’s laminate floors is also affecting theirs, but this is a dangerous and costly line of thinking. Assuming this can cost you not only money, but a ton of time.

Lack Of Expansion Space Causes Peaking

Laminate flooring is certainly no exception from one of the most basic laws of nature, that everything expands and contracts. This is why laminate floors that are installed correctly always have space between the edge and the molding. The planks have no choice but to push against each other if they don’t have space to do anything else. They will then start to rise once enough pressure is there. Generally the effect is quite minor in the beginning, but you’ll end up with a small mountain in your home if it’s not taken care of.

Peaking Can Be Caused By Fixed Moldings

Even if there is room to expand, your laminated flooring cannot take advantage of it if the moldings cannot move. This can sometimes be a nightmare to track down if the original installer was not consistent. Since laminate flooring is intended to be floating, which means not attached to either the moldings or the sub-floor, any solid point can cause an issue. Amateur installers will occasionally attach the laminate floor to molding to keep it from moving during install, or simply because they don’t know any better.

Boards That Are Too Long May Cause Peaking

This is usually the least likely issue, and does not pertain to all laminate flooring manufacturers. Having one board that’s too long will net you the same result as not having enough expansion room. If there is no single plank that’s longer than recommended by the manufacturer, then this issue is easily avoided. However, if you didn’t do the install, you may not know who the manufacturer is. For the most part, unless your issue is in a long hallway or you have an exceptionally large home with runs of longer than 40 feet, you can probably ignore this possibility. That is, however, unless you can’t find any other places, in which case you might get stuck pulling planks and looking for manufacturer markings.

Check out Laminate Floor Facts for more information on everything about the laminate floor.

Journalist CHARLES DUHIGG, writing for The New York Times, has put put together an amazing series on Water Pollution called, “Toxic Waters.” Each article is a fascinating exploration into a tributary of this important issue. The series should be required reading for all of our politicians and decision makers. What’s in your glass of water? How important is water to you?

http://projects.nytimes.com/toxic-waters

DC WASA has changed the way sewer charges are calculated with its new Impervious Area Charge (IAC). As they see it, this charge equitably distributes the cost of sewer maintenance caused by runoff water.

Like many cities, Washington, DC has an aging sewer infrastructure which has not been updated to keep pace with growth in Washington. During a prolonged or torrential downspout, DC’s storm water system can be easily overwhelmed. Storm water runoff is exacerbated by impermeable groundcover including buildings, streets, patios and parking lots. Runoff water goes untreated into the areas waterways including Rock Creek, the Anacostia and Potomac and contributes to pollution in these bodies of water. It should be noted that this same water comes back to us as drinking water.

What’s forgotten in all of this is the fact that when considering a new patio or driveway or even an addition there are many responsible options to limit runoff. For example:

(1) Permeable pavers allow water to infiltrate to the earth.
(2) Flagstone patios can be set on stone dust rather than a concrete base.
(3) Cisterns and rain barrels can be installed to collect storm water coming off your roof. This water can then be used for landscape watering.
(4) Driveways can be constructed with permeable concrete, a relatively new. http://www.perviouspavement.org/
(5) Leach fields and dry wells can be integrated seamlessly into almost any landscaping plan.

New and old technologies and storm water management strategies such as the above can help. At this point, the fee is calculated by assessing homeowners one “Equivalent Residential Unit” (ERU). Businesses are assessed based upon the amount of impermeable land area they control. A shopping center with a big parking lot, for example, will pay a lot more than a mom and pop shop. This seems fair and correct. Homeowners get taxed at the same rate based upon a statistical average.

While I can appreciate WASA’s new fee as both necessary and a step in the right direction, they do not seem to have a mechanism in place to reward individuals and businesses which take extra effort to control water runoff. The tax is a “tailpipe solution” to a growing problem. Without an incentive or disincentive, all we can do is shrug and look forward to more taxes in the years to come when the problem gets worse. WASA should consider a tax credit for responsible individuals and businesses that make a concerted effort to help.

Better yet, WASA can use its clout to lobby for legislation to require what are now considered to be “alternative” materials and storm water strategies.

M Gotthelf

http://www.dcwasa.com/customercare/iab.cfm