Did you ever get the crinkling resolved? Experience the same problem right now with newly installed laminate flooring.

Not yet...but both our builder and the flooring retailer have acknowledged that there is a problem. We're hoping to have a more defined resolution in place sometime next week. Our builder added a couple of extra supports in our crawlspace but everything else needs to be fixed from up top which now falls on the flooring retailer and installer. What it comes down to is that they did zero floor prep ensuring it was flat within 3/16" over a 10ft span and we're also thinking they didn't leave the proper gap around all walls, at least not everywhere. They'll have to tear it out.

@ Lisa G - The attached foam underlay is rubbing against the vapour barrier. It is like rubbing two balloons together = squeaking/popping/crackling noise.

To be clear, the vapour barrier needs to be over the CRAWL space (either the dirt is "capped" with concrete or it is covered in black plastic properly taped...and the crawlspace is properly cross ventilated)...not the plywood subfloor. In fact, plywood subfloors should NOT have full vapour barriers. This is not allowed.

The "most" you are allowed to use is a vapour RETARDANT...not a full moisture barrier. Vapour retardants have "perm" ratings (permeability ratings). These range from 0.3 - 10 or higher.

So back to the noise issue: the noise is coming from the integrated foam underlay rubbing against the vapour barrier. Remove ONE...and you get rid of the noise.

And a properly built subfloor should not bounce or sag. I'm going to guess your subfloor wasn't flat when they laid the floor.

@Joel: What type of floor (integrated foam underlay attached to your laminate) did you purchase and what is sitting underneath it?

I just installed laminate from Costco (foam pad attached) on a 6 mil moisture barrier over concrete. The floor was level within specs. But certain spots I can hear plastic crinkling. Just finished yesterday. The vapor barrier was folded and rolled, so I am hoping the barrier needs to just settle. Also, I have yet to attach the baseboards yet, so essentially nothing is holding the flooring in place in areas.

I've been reading everyone else's problems in hopes I will be more educated when we get ready for our own floors. Regarding moisture barrier restrictions on wood subfloor, is it a mistake to use MP Global Quiet Walk underlayment with Marmoleum Click? This is what was recommended when we purchased our Marm and the product lists wood floors as a suitable use. True?

Quiet Walk is a decent underlay with decent acoustics and decent thermal ratings (it is up there with cork). The suitability of an underlay does not rest with the underlay producer....it lays with the flooring producer. Always check with the flooring manufacture before assuming an underpad will work.

Some of Quiet Walk's products can be "nailed" or pierced. Others cannot. The TYPE of wood and the TYPE of install (along with installation instructions for the wood floor) will dictate the materials to be used during installation.

It is true the Quiet Walk you list is good for floating hardwood. It may not be allowed with glue down...nor with nail/cleat/staple. In fact the name on one of the documents states: Underlayment for Laminate, Engineered and Floating Wood floors.

Which means this thickness, in this context cannot be glued nor pierced. Quiet Walk has other underlayments that allow that use...just not the one you sent the link for.

Thank you, Cancork - I'm floating Marmoleum Click over it. I got worried about your comment about moisture barriers over plywood subfloors b/c that's what we have.

Quiet Walk comes in two formats: with and WITHOUT the vapour barrier attached. If it is just the felt...you are fine. If it is the felt mounted onto a plastic backing...then you have the wrong product for your application.

And Quiet Walk (the felt itself) is NOT a vapour barrier...it is a moisture retardant with a "perm rating" = just fine for plywood.

Check your product to see if you have the plain ol' felt (cheaper version without the plastic backing). If you have purchased the wrong product, simply take it back (unopened in the original packaging) to your point of purchase and get the other one (should save you a few dollars).

Having the exact same issue now... Installer installed a whole floor of CoreTech cork-backed plank flooring in a room.. When you walk on it, it sounds exactly like you are walking on cellophane. Suspect also from the vapor barrier installed under it. This is over concrete and floor was pretty much totally level. Installed is coming to look at it soon. Wonder if you can remove only a few planks and then "pull" the plastic tauter to make the noise go away? I guess if the plastic is in separate pieces, then you can't without removing many sections of the floor......

I'm having the exact same issue too! Just had Rigid Core Luxury Vinyl Plank installed with a plastic moisture barrier underneath - I am so upset that this sounds like cellophane when I walk on it - I can hear the kitties walking in the other room it is so noticeable. Very interested to hear how people are resolving this...

Barbara, we've been in our house for 2 years now and the noisy moisture barrier issue was fixed by tearing up the entire floor and leveling the area (which wasn't done initially). They relaid the flooring with mostly new planks because they weren't sure if the planks themselves were part of the problem (we had some additional issues beyond the noisy moisture barrier) but used about 1/4 of the old planks. Problem solved. There is only a tiny 1sqft area that still makes the sound and I'm pretty sure they just missed leveling that spot.

We are installing Coretec LVP and am told I should get the vapor barrier. We have a basement and realize that would need a vapor barrier. But does the floor above the basement need it? We have exposed plumbing in our basement towards the ceiling that is very close to the floor above it. We will also have a new addition that will have crawl space underneath. I’m assuming that would also need a vapor barrier. I’m concerned about the cellophane sound. Are there any resolutions to that? Maybe some improvements since this post started?

jenwinston73,

Our crinkling vapor barrier sound was fixed by the flooring company tearing out the floor and redoing it. They leveled out the trouble areas before putting down new flooring. For Coretec, you'll need to look at their installation requirements specifically as every manufacturer is different. I'm sure they can answer your question directly if it's not specified in the installation directions. We're happy with our floor now, no more sounds from the vapor barrier and we've been in our house close to 4 years.

It sounds like the crinkly noise is brought on by the lack of subfloor prep. In other words, a poorly prepared subfloor that is humpy-bumpy causes floors to bounce (which is where people believe the bounce/hollow sound of laminate comes from...BTW). That movement causes rubbing.

Flatten the subfloor and you remove the movement. No movement, no rubbing/crinkling.

@ jenwinston73 You ALWAYS need a vapour barrier at or below grade (grade is the ground level). Concrete is always damp...always. A vapour barrier prevents moisture from hitting the floor and damaging it. Coretec is VERY specific about it's underpad allowance. The installation instructions must be followed very carefully - like all vinyl flooring.

Thanks. I’m more worried about the need for it on the main living space (above the basement). I didn’t think it was needed but my contractor suggested it. I don’t mind putting it in to be safe but am worried about all of the stories about crinkling. I guess we just need to micromanage the installers to make sure they prep well.

The main living space is probably on wood/chip board? If so, you are not allowed to use a vapour barrier. Ever. And when you say 'contractor' do you mean 'flooring contractor' (as in a professional flooring installer who ONLY does flooring) or do you mean a 'General Contractor'?

Good to know about the plywood...yes that’s what we have. That’s my general contractor. He has flooring guys that should be more equipped to answer my questions. I’m just doing my research beforehand. I know that people have still complained about their installers...so I’m going to learn all of this and micromanage them to make sure they do it right.

We just purchased a house that was built in the 1970s. The floor is Definitely not on the new side. I know with older houses especially floors will creak. But in our bedroom part of the floor sounds a whole lot different. Like it sounds like water trapped underneath if that makes since when you walk on it. But nothing is seeping through the floors or anything. Ideas!!???

@ Keri...if it sounds soggy, it probably is. A vapour barrier can trap moisture UNDERNEATH a floor. That vapour barrier will allow moisture to get trapped on the bottom side of the sheet. That water then drips back down onto the wooden subfloor. That subfloor then gets SOAKED over time. That soaking can cause TREMENDOUS amounts of rot. And that's precisely why vapour barriers are NOT allowed over top of wooden subfloors.

A quick and easy way to check is to pop off the baseboards closest to the soggy area. You might be able to peek at the subfloor by peeling back the vapour barrier (most are run up the wall by 1" and then hidden by the baseboard). If you feel like the wood (or drywall for that matter) is moist or damp then you should go even further.

Go ahead and pop out a few planks in the bedroom and peel back the plastic sheet. An intact floor will look like butter (wood colour). If you pull it back and you see BLACK then you have issues. Dark wood (wet) that turns black (mold) is a bad situation.

The easiest way (homeowner DIY investigation) to check to see if things are beyond salvagable is to stab at it with a screw driver (any screw driver will do). If you can poke into the drywall or wood subfloor with ease, then you have issues and they need to be dealt with ASAP.

Send photos when you have some. We can take it from there.

I have a crinkle sound and a soft feel too LUCKILY near the wall toward the end of a run of floating engineered flooring. I pretty much know, and especially after reading some comments above, that my issue is the underlayment. This area had the end of a roll of underlayment and it was quite creased. My boards laid in ok but it is still bugging me as I feel like they aren’t laying 100% flat. I did check and it seems they are but I still fee they aren’t. Anyway, I plan to remove the boards today, lay a new piece of underlayment, and put the boards back. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. :( oh and I’m on 2nd story plywood subfloor if that helps anyone.

A question about the crinkling noise several of you have experienced. Did this diminosh over time as the poly layers compacted or settled? Just did a few rows of laminate AMD can already hear some crinkling.

Stop the work and tell us what you have used as an underpad and vapour barrier.

Does the laminate have an attached underpad?

I stopped right away and started over. concrete Sub floor, 6 mil poly, 6mm cork underlayment, 12mm laminate. The original poly I laid down was creased. I had another roll of flat poly so used that instead. So far so good but I’m still not thrilled with the “give” from all those layers. Hoping it still settles a bit?

Use a push broom to remove air bubbles and flatten out the plastic, do not just roll it out. It's like installing wall paper, remove the air bubbles.

I am about to install CoreTec Premium Plus Plank over a concrete, slab-on-grade floor. The slab has a vapor barrier underneath it, so do I need another vapor barrier between the LVP and concrete? Thank you.

Yes, manufacturer's requirement. Make sure sub is super clean and vapor barrier is flat.

wow, i think this is happening to me. We just installed carpet and nice carpet pad, with a moisture barrier. iN a few spots it sounds like squeaking and i think like described above, balloons being rubbed together. Is this a defective pad? Defective installation? or should i just go without a moisture barrier on carpet? (its being installed over hardwood floors, on perimeter foundation in California

It depends on what the PAD is made of. Over wood you do NOT want a vapour barrier. Ever. Wood sweats. The droplets the wood releases will HIT the vapour barrier (or closed cell rubber, or whatever is used for vapour barrier) and then DRIP DOWN on to the hardwood. Then it sits...and rots.

A breathable carpet pad that is fibre based (like felted mixed fibre pad from recycled blue jeans...etc) will work very well. Sometimes the OLD FINISH on the hardwood will chemically interfere with rubber or rubberized products. The finish on the wood can rub against a rubber carpet pad. But most squeaks come from wood rubbing on metal like nails. It happens. Especially with older homes (30+ year old homes that have dried out = dry wood shrank, the nail holes got bigger and now you have loose boards = squeaking).

Thanks for comment but no way is this moisture or nail related We installed carpet and 3 days later it squeeks. Not everywhere but in dozens places or so. Like balloons. It’s not from wood floor under it. For sure. I wonder if the carpet pad is installed wrong side up maybe? We are going to get it lifted out. But then who pays for it to be replaced if it’s a defective pad?

"But then who pays for it to be replaced if it’s a defective pad?"

What does the manufacturer warranty say about labor?

I am about to install CoreTec Premium Plus Plank over a concrete, slab-on-grade floor. Response above from G&S Floor service states to install a vapor barrier per manufacture. (coretec has core bac). I chatted with Shaw floors on 4/21/23, and according to them, one does not need an additional vapor barrier for slab on grade. '

'We are the manufacturer and a 6 mil poly film should be used when concrete is on top of the ground, below grade. You are welcome to add the poly film but because the concrete is above grade and not on the ground, it is not needed."