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Had a plank snap right under a client's fridge in the middle of a glue-down job
I was installing some 7-inch wide engineered oak in a condo downtown, using a full spread adhesive. Everything was going smooth, had about half the living room down. I went to slide the fridge back into its spot, just a gentle nudge with my knee, and I heard this awful crack. Pulled the fridge back out and saw a clean break right across the middle of a plank, right where a seam was. The subfloor was level, I checked it myself. My best guess is there was a tiny void in the glue right under that seam, and the pressure from the fridge leg was the final straw. I had to cut out the whole damaged plank and the one next to it to get a clean repair, which set me back almost two hours. Has anyone else had a plank fail like that during an install, not from moisture or a bad cut, but just from pressure on a weak spot?
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hannah3851mo ago
Gotta disagree with the glue void idea. A proper full spread should not have weak spots like that. More likely the plank itself had a factory defect, a hairline crack you missed during inspection. Engineered wood can have internal flaws. The fridge leg just found it. Always check each board before it goes down, even the expensive stuff.
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