LESLIE: Now we’ve got Bill on the line with a flooring question. How can we help you today?
BILL: Hey, good. How you guys doing? Hey, I have a kitchen floor and it’s probably about ten years old. And in front of the oven it’s like buckling up on the joints and it goes down like in 2’x2′ squares. Any idea what would cause that or what’s the best way to fix it?
TOM: Hmm. So it’s pressed up against the oven. You’ve had some movement in that floor. What kind of material is it, Bill?
BILL: Well, it’s not linoleum. I’m not sure what it is but it goes down in, like I said, 2’x2′ squares and right in front of the oven there it’s – like in the joints – it’s popping up. You know?
TOM: Right. So, is it – it’s loose in terms of popping up or the edges are pressing together?
BILL: The edges are pressing together; like it’s pushing up; like would crown up. You know? Crown up a tad.
TOM: Right, right. And what kind of floor is this over?
BILL: Good question. I guess they put it down over the original kitchen floor, I guess.
TOM: Hmm. Yeah. Well, obviously you’ve had some movement in this floor and the fact that these edges are pushing up together means they’re not going to lay down flat because they’re hitting each other. Is it possible to remove the tiles and reset them?
BILL: Yeah, I guess. I was trying to figure out the easiest way. I guess that’s the only way to do it.
TOM: Well, the only other thing that you can do, if it’s strategically possible, is to cut one of the high edges of this material to make enough room to press both down. Do you follow me?
BILL: Yeah. In other words, trim it a little bit and then try to push it back down again?
TOM: (overlapping voices) You’d have to trim it – that’s right – and push it back down again.
BILL: OK.
TOM: But even doing that, you may have a hard time getting it to lay flat. It sounds like ten years is a long time; you know, a lot of wear and tear for a floor, Bill. You may need to be thinking about something new. You know, a good option here might be a laminate floor because it’ll lock together and it’ll sit right on top of what you have.
BILL: OK. Alright, good. Thank you.
TOM: You’re welcome, Bill. Thanks so much for calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
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