A 6' long metal straight-edge with a Veritas 1/64" Fractional Taper Gage was used to determine that the floor is within the manufacturer's tolerances for flatness. The measurements ranged from 0" to 1/16" in 6'. (Normal) No vertical movement of the flooring material was observed.

High edges of disengaged planks

cracked planks

Installation damage

Installation damage

Not properly engaged/locked

Wrinkled vapor barrier - Photo courtesy of Brad Welsh

Deflection under load

Subfloor flatness measurement

High and low areas

Noise – Snap, Crackle, Pop, Clicking, and Squeaks (Resilient Plank)

Floor Detective® Claims and Conditions Guide

Summary

Noise in resilient plank flooring refers to audible snapping, popping, crackling, clicking, squeaking, creaking, chirping, or hollow sounds generated during foot traffic, rolling loads, or dynamic movement across the flooring system. Floating and semi-floating resilient systems are designed to accommodate limited movement, and sound is produced when components shift relative to one another and stored frictional, compressive, or mechanical energy is released. Minor acoustic variation may occur within normal flooring-system behavior, particularly in large floating installations or under changing environmental conditions. Persistent, repeatable, localized, or progressive noise commonly reflects increased movement interaction within locking joints, plank edges, underlayment systems, vapor barriers, substrate interfaces, adhesive layers, or structural support components beneath the flooring assembly. Sound may occur with or without visible gapping, peaking, edge displacement, or surface distortion. Audible response alone does not independently establish manufacturing nonconformance. Proper evaluation requires correlation of sound type, repeatability, movement interaction, support geometry, restraint conditions, environmental exposure, and flooring-system behavior rather than sound presence alone. See also Gaps Resilient Plank, Peaked End Joints, and LVT and SPC Floor Problems for broader context.

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