@Sarah The cork should not be making the noise...but over a vapour barrier it *might make some noise like rubbing two balloons together. My question becomes: how much preparation of the wooden subfloor did they DO?

Noise is almost ALWAYS cause by MOVEMENT. If you STEP on it and you can feel the plank FLEX/move under foot, then they did NOT do enough to flatten the subfloors. If they DID NOT do this, the question is 'did you PAY for it'? If so, how much. A wooden subfloor can require $1-$4/sf worth of subfloor prep. Usually $2/sf is a good budget number to work with.

If you did not pay for it, then sadly you have gotten what you have paid for = nothing.

If in doubt, check the level and flatness of the subfloor BEFORE they try to put this thing down again. And GOOD flooring installers KNOW you NEVER use plastic vapour barrier over wood - ever....I mean NOT EVER!

Just something to think about.

We are currently installing this product but have paused the job due to a crackling/rice crispy sound. Wondering what the outcome was for those that were also experiencing this issue? Did it go away? Did you choose a new product? Thanks!

We installed in November and we are having a crackling sound. Did you find a solution?

Janelle Van have you found anything that helps it not look streaky? ive tried 2 different mops, its hard to get footprints off and then i see streak marks from where i mopped.

I use the o-cedar mop and a mixture of water and vinegar.

Just a follow up to our situation I posted about in late January. We had them take up what had been installed. They ordered new planks from a different lot. They releveled the floor and the installed the new planks. No crackling sound! I really think it’s an installation issue/floor leveling. We installed on top of concrete. We love the floor. We still have a couple of spots that we feel they didn’t level well so hoping to have those areas fixed. No noise in those areas just feels soft or too much flex.

HU, I use the O Cedar mop with water and 1 tablespoon of Tide (powder kind) dissolved in and don’t get streaks.

I know this is an old thread, but we had Coretec Manilla Oak installed a couple months ago. We have the same crackling sound others have reported. Working with the flooring house we bought from, they sent a leftover box to Coretec's lab for evaluation. As it turns out, the planks are out of spec. They aren’t perfectly straight along their length. Some are wide in the middle (hourglass shaped), some are narrow in the middle. Anyway, we now have to choose a new floor, but Coretec will install it for free. Advice from the flooring house, who spoke to the Rep at Coretec, was NOT to install Manilla Oak again, and even to be weary of choosing a floor from the same VV012 line, which would include Calypso Oak.

I hope this revelation solves the crackling mystery for you all. Unfortunate because it is a really pretty floor

.

We have the same issue with newly installed Coretec Hayes Oak. The supplier came out today and is putting a claim in with Coretec. We had the same floor installed several years ago in other rooms with no issue. It appears that it was a bad batch.

I am trying to install Calypso Oak and having crackling noises as well. the flooring store is sending an installer to take a look.

We just had Manila Oak installed yesterday. It has the crackling noise issue too... mentioned to the installer and they will check it out tomorrow and go from there with Coretec : ( We had WhisperStep installed underneath but that material was cleared to use with Cortec flooring.

Wow..this info sets my decisions back a bit. Cortec is off the list. Grateful for the info

Bmadkey: did you select another Coretec floor?

mtokar123, we haven't chosen yet. I have several samples. The flooring house says all the VV012 planks, including Calypso and Manila Oak, come off the same line. They just get a different image on the surface. He says they could all be problematic. So I'm tempted to go with the Blended Praline, which is a different series, but similar color to the Manila Oak we are replacing. I'm trying to keep the same or similar thickness as well.

Bmadkey Thanks . I am hoping Coretec resolves the issue in manufacturing-cutting. I had Hayes Oak installed a few years ago in rooms that connect so I need to stick with that line. it was installed in Mid December

As an update - Coretec approved the claim, I really appreciate this thread for providing details on what the problem could be. We are considering now what our next step will be. I can get a Manila shipment from another lot or choose a different floor. The Blended Praline looks similar @bmadkey - did you end up deciding on a direction? My flooring dealer says he hasnt had this issue with Manila and he'd make sure it came from a different lot but I am wary about going through this again. It is so destructive to get your floors redone and is a lot of work to move furniture around...

@mtokar123 I noticed that Hayes Oak (VV035 ) is not part of the same line as the Manila/Calypso (VV102) - Can you let us know if Coretec responds the same way? Disconcerting if its happening with other lines too!

Alicia - actually we made our decision yesterday. Decided against the Praline. My wife thought it was a little too yellow/orange. After discussing with our flooring guy, we decided to try Calypso. Our guy was in touch with the CoreTec rep, who just said they do millions of lineal feet of Calypso that isn’t a problem. So went that direction. The flooring guy has been great, and made us a few. He’s ordering the material, will install a bunch of it, we’ll evaluate then decide whether to proceed. If it Calypso is crackly, we’ll try running the planks the other direction, parallel with the floor joists. Maybe that’s contributing. Our previous laminate from previous owner ran parallel. Maybe that’s why. Otherwise, our backup plan is to switch to Gracious Oak. It’s a little more in the grays, but I like the 6’ planks. Below are Gracious and Calypso in different lights over the existing Manila.

Alicia Peters, are you getting a refund or a credit? How long did your claim take? My claim is still being processed. I have some unopened boxes of Calypso OakI would like to return.

We didn't have to do anything. Our flooring company took care of everything. He filed the claim with CoreTec. I gave him a leftover box of the Manila Oak, which he sent to the lab at Shaw (parent company). CoreTec discovered the issue. They will be reimbursing our flooring house for the tear-out and replacement of our floor with the new planks. Our guy has been great.

@bmadkey Thanks for the info! We looked into Calypso and Cyril Oak prior to deciding on the Manila. We really wanted to have the warm/neutral tones of the Manila. The other two we were looking at looked gray in comparison to all the other wood features in our home and with the lighting we have. @Elina K My flooring guy has been great as well and assured me they'd get it figured out - they submitted the claim and it took about 2 weeks to hear back. We had an inspection scheduled but got a claim approved from Shaw before the inspector came out after our Floor guy sent in our boards. I was not offered a refund but a replacement floor of the same value.

@bmadkey That could be an interesting finding if the direction of the boards impacts the noise...we also switched our orientation from previous laminate. I have heard the 6' planks are really nice too with the Gracious Oak. I suppose we should start preparing backup plans as well (le sigh). Additionally, had you experienced any wearing on your socks or difficulty cleaning as other posters have comment with on this line? There is definitely a matte texture but I haven't experienced anything dramatic with either of these.

Alicia, The Manila Oak for sure has a wonderful matte finish. But I haven't noticed any impact on socks so far. A little plug here, but I buy exclusively Darn Tough socks. Corny name, more expensive for sure, but lifetime warranty. Great quality, and if you get a hole in them, send them back and get a code to buy a new pair free on their website. Sorry for the digression. Also didn't notice any difficulty cleaning the Manilla.

@bmadkey That is hysterical you mention darn tough - its what we wear too! Love them so and was curious if thats why I hadnt noticed anything... I am too deep into the forums right now and making sure I'd be happy enough with going to Manila again as an attempt and if its still crackly going with a backup. Thanks!

Our flooring company put a claim in with Coretec for the Hayes Oak. I am told next step is for a flooring inspector to come to the house. I will give an update after that occurs.

We never had an inspector come. Instead CoreTec asked my installer to just take a video walking on it to hear the sound. I helped with that and it was really noisy on the recording. That was sufficient for CoreTec.

Our Coretec floors were installed 2 months ago. i feel the cracking and popping has become progressively worse. Tonight i took to google and found this thread. We have Grande Goldin Oak installed over concrete, plywood and stairs. Every area of the house has the issue and it drives me crazy. I have been thinking maybe its common that floating floors do this and that i should have just researched more before going LVP (although i researched for months)

We had Ciaro Oak Pro Plus XL installed about 3 months ago in the entire main floor. Half of the floor was laid over existing 3/4" hardwood the rest was laid over 3/4" underlayment that was brought in to take the prior carpeted areas up to the hardwood level. We have popping, crackling "snap, crackle, pop" when you walk on it and physical movement up and down by 1/4" or more in some areas where the LVP was laid over the existing hardwood. So frustating. Coretec Shaw said that it is normal and a floating floor can make noises. We thought it was an installation issue but this thread makes make wonder. We purchased our flooring through Costco and are trying to come to a resolution. Thank goodness we haven't installed baseboards yet.

I heard from the flooring company that Coretec has approved the claim. The floor will be removed and reinstalled. Hopefully the new floor will not have the same issue.

my Coretec claim got rejected because ”crackles“ are normal. So frustrating. I have some opened boxes that I am hoping I can send back for a refund and waiting to hear back if they will accept them.

The installers came to remove and reinstall tne replacement flooring after Corete approvrd the claim. Before installing they checked thenew batch. it too is defective so we are back to square one. Not sure what are next step will be

@mtokar123 how was it defective? My floor inspector took one plank back with him.

The floor has a crackling sound from the planks rubbing against each other lengthwise. it has gotten worse since installation in December. they sent an independent foor inspector who sent the report to Coretec/ Shaw.

@mtokar123 Seems odd that they would accept your crackling claim but not mine. They said crackling is normal and not covered under warranty. I had an independent floor inspector too.

@bmadkey Did you settle on a floor?

Our installer, Floor Meisters of Naples, has tested an additional 5 lots and say that they all squeak. Now we are in a dilemma, as we have an open concept home and there is not another LVP that looks like Hayes Oak that can be installed in order to keep continuity with the bedrooms. So our options are to remove the Hayes Oak and the ceramic tile underneath and replace with a ceramic tile that coordinates with Hayes Oak in the bedrooms, or pick another LVP for the entire house. So about 2300sq ft of flooring would have to be removed. Either way it will be a big expense and hassle. I am leaning towards removing the Hayes Oak and replacing it with ceramic tile as I am now leary of using LVP.

I had a claim approved today for 1,300 SF of Calypso Oak for the crackling issue. My dealer is telling me that I have to pick another Shaw product of equal or lessor value. I would prefer a refund instead as I'm pretty hesitant to order another product and having the same issue again. Has anyone been successful in just getting a refund? If not, any luck having the product replaced with a new lot or another Coretec product that has resolved the issue?

We tried a second time from a different lot and it was inspected by Coretec prior to install. I paused the project halfway through bc the crackling issue was there. Contractor sent the boards in with a claim and it was approved. We are back to square one but one of the options is to have material refunded. Another option is a different coretec floor and if there is a cost difference that would adjust what we owe. I would definitely recommend avoiding the vv102 line but I am not sure if this issue exists outside of that line. It's confusing bc so many people have these floors with no problem but the fact that claims are being made and approved shows there is a problem.

Update on Hayes Oak: I went to Floor Meisters today and got a sample of Conch Ash which is a very near perfect match to Hayes Oak. It has less beveleing on joints and no cross hatching but otherwise the same width and color tones. So it appears that a solution is found. Hoping there is no problem with crackling with this.

Just an update from my side. But first a quick refresher. We had Manila Oak installed in Fall 2023. The crackling was pretty bad right away and never got better. Worked with our flooring house, who worked directly with CoreTec. CoreTec approved a new floor. The Manila lot we had was out of spec, both in terms of the straightness of the edges, as well as the profiles of the tongue and groove. The new floor was finally installed last week. We chose Calypso, which is the same floor as Manila oak, but a different pattern. We actually like the new floor better and….no crackling!!

You can see the difference in the 2 floors below (Calypso on the left). A larger pic of Calypso as well. We’re very satisfied with the new floor.

Update on Hayes Oak and Conch Ash: Last week Floor Meisters in Naples removed all the Hayes Oak and installed Conch Ash . We could not be happier! No squeaks and it looks great! I would not hesitate to have Coretec Conch Ash installed. Kudos to Floor Meisters for outstanding customer service!

We had coretec Calypso Oak installed in december and over the past few months the crackly clicking sound is getting worse and worse! I contacted coretec and they told me to contact the company we purchased it from which is floor city. I am trying to reach them.

Just installed some calypso oak from floor City as well. Really crackly and hoping it stops....

@AliciaPeters - can you please share the Shaw/Coretec claim rep you worked with regarding VV012 line having manufacturing issues? Our entire 1500+ sq ft downstairs of Calypso Oak is snapping/crackling. It has been present since day 1 of install and persists now 6 months later. Coretec is denying our claim.

We went through our flooring house that was doing the install so I don't actually have a rep with Shaw/Coretec. We provided videos and had our flooring contractor walk around our house to experience the crackling and they submitted the claims and alerted us to status. I think both and @bmadkey and I had similar experiences in this regard. Can your installers submit or did you install yourselves?

@Alicia - thanks so much for the reply. Yes, our installer came to our home and took pictures and videos and sent to Shaw/Coretec. They (Shaw/Coretec) responded that “sounds” are not covered under warranty for a floating floor system. As you can imagine, this is disappointing since clearly there are manufacturing issues with their product if so many consumers are having the same issues. I was hoping to learn the name of who your installer worked with at Shaw since the adjuster I was assigned to at Shaw was not very helpful or professional :(

I had my Coretec Calypso Oak flooring installed as a floating floor about 1 ½ years ago. It is beautiful, but from day one, it made the crackling noise anywhere I put weight on it. My 9 pound cat walking across the floor makes the crackling noise. It is installed over concrete, plywood, and stairs and crackles everywhere except the stairs. I filed a claim and it was denied. My installer suggested I pull up the floor and glue it down instead, which is an approved installation method for this flooring. I haven’t moved forward with doing it yet, hoping the problem would resolve itself, but it hasn’t. Does anyone have any experience with gluing down their Coretec Calypso Oak and did it help?

Manilla Oak installed back in spring of 2025 is crackling terribly. Shaw sent out someone back over the summer and their response was that they didn't know what caused it but it wasn't a manufacturing issue so they did nothing.

The crackling has continued to get worse and is absolutely terrible in some areas. Before this I had installed Pergo from HD, which was silent for 10 years. This is an absolute joke of a product and terrible customer service. I hope people read this and steer clear.

https://youtu.be/iTVAEcdiDoU?si=WaBF6GGQi6zjePzV

You either need a bigger expansion gap or a flatter subfloor and possibly both. The flooring isn't in it's free state.

If, you have extra boards. Connect a few or several boards and press on it in various spots to see if, it makes the same noise. You should be able to determine whether it's : expansion gap, flatness or surface texture causing it.

Your kitchen counter top is a good surface to test on. It's flat and smooth.