Mark
04-03-2004, 10:12 PM
I am hoping that someone can assist me. We live in a home built in 1959 with a raised foundation. In the 90's the kitchen/family room wall was pushed out about 10 feet to enlarge the area; the addition was slab construction. The two foundation types come together in the middle of our kitchen/family room area. Our problem is that the linoleum that was installed has split and come apart where the two foundations meet. A home inspector came out and checked to make sure that everything was structurally sound (it is), but said that because the two foundations expand and contract at different rates and at different temperatures, the split has occured. . He recommended that we put plywood down and cover the area with hardwood. However, a hardwood manufacturer told me that even with the plywood underlayment, the wood will likely split unless we put a T-molding down (we can't do this--it's in the middle of the kitchen/family room). If we're going to splurge for hardwood, we'd like it to last! We've gone to many flooring stores since and have received a different opinion from every flooring store representative we've gone to since and are exasperated! We are indifferent as to what flooring type we install (price is a somewhat of a concern, however) as long as it rectifies our problem. Any suggestions? We would be most grateful!!