Increased moisture is the cause of a growing floating floor. The effect will range from no noticeable change in appearance to peaking, cupping, buckling (tenting), warping, delamination, blistered edges, finish damage, squeaking and gaps. Engineered wood, laminate and bamboo flooring are hygroscopic. These materials increase and decrease in moisture content with change in the ambient relative humidity (RH). To better understand hygroscopic, think of the kitchen sponge. The wet sponge absorbs moisture and swells, as it dries it shrinks. That’s what wood and bamboo products are constantly doing though usually in a subtler way. Once exposed to a large moisture gain the effect of the growing floating floor becomes the most severe. Also see Shrinking Floating Floor
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