Vinyl flooring bulging and discoloration?

Question

I have noticed the vinyl floor in my kitchen near the door to the bathroom is starting to bubble up in a couple of spots. There is also some discoloration associated with this bulging that appears to be coming from underneath the floor. The bulging is hard and can easily felt if you run your fingers or toes over top of it. I always imagine the worst when I see something like this, but what could be the cause of this?

Answer 1

most joints in the underlayment of a vinyl floor are filled with a powder that i call floor stone its used to fill any small or big imperfections it is supposed to be mixed with a gluey solution called milk . some installers will just use water cause its cheaper . but when you use water it can crack up or eventually turn back into a powder . There is no moisture bond or retard between the vinyl and the wood floor now, the backing on the vinyl is like a sponge , so the discolration.

Answer 2

i put my money on improper installation of the sheet vinyl. Incorrect surface preparation and adhesive application can cause the very problem you see here. No way to fix it except tear it all up. (yikes)

had teh same situation with a beautiful Armstrong limited edition in my kitchen, which Armstrong offered to replace, but the style was discontinued. So I'm living with spots, which look like orange koolaid all over the floor, and grooves, until I can undertake ripping it out and putting in hardwood.

Answer 3

Sounds like moisture to me. You'll need to pull that floor up and find out what is warping the sub floor, and fix that issue. I would then install a nice tile floor in that kitchen and the bath.

Answer 4

It's possible that something in your bathroom is leaking into the flooring and causing the floorboards underneath to swell and bubble. You may want to check under the sink and around the toilet and tub/shower to make sure you aren't seeing similar things.

Answer 5

Ola I'm not sure if they can find a solution to this with the good Information you are telling us. You could make it more simple some more so that people can tell with more confidence. Just a thought! :-D