burned appearance on flooring

I did an inspection today for someone getting ready to sell their home in the Spring. The floor in the kitchen near the sliding glass door had an odd appearance that looks like a burn mark. The seller is the original owner and has no idea as to why this appeared. Any ideas? The sliding glass door faces south.

The sun’s UV rays.

That is my first thought, and that the screen is why it is not happening on the other half of the door. I have never seen it like that. Have you seen this before?

I haven’t Jim, but I would simply write I don’t know what caused it, nor did the owner…seems odd where your at getting cooked from the sun, but stranger things have happened…certainly a possibility I guess if the glass is reflecting heat in the right direction for a long period of time.

Personally I’ve never seen anything even remotely related here in Death Valley though–:smiley:

It’s a water stain coming from the door under the flooring .
See it around here usually not that pronounced .

Why would the stain be coming up through the vinyl (?) flooring 1.5-2 inches from the doorsill/threshhold. If the water is travelling from the sill area to where it “shows” up, wouldn’t the stain be evident from the sill inwards?

If there was regular water intrusion causing this stain, you would expect some subfloor softness from rot.

I would bet it is several things going on condensation and air from the heating outlet
Metal door air leakage , Moisture . Old vinyl floor sunlight.

That would be my guess! May be some refraction/concentration of sunlight happening.

I did see some dark yellow discolouring of this type of flooring around furnace supply air floor registers about 8-9 years ago.

The kitchen was directly above the furnace plenums and the 2 ducts serving the kitchen were directly taken off the high sides of the hot air plenum and not a main trunk. The air supplied to these registers was in the 140-150-160*F range while I was there and may have been higher at other times (Colder days with much longer running times). The heated air leaking under register floor flanges had yellowed the flooring all around its edge.

Ditto. See it often, carpet too.

I don’t make too many comments about OLD Flooring myself. :smiley:

[FONT=Arial-BoldMT][size=1]Photograph 4: Vinyl Flooring[/size][/FONT]
[FONT=ArialMT][size=1]—Pink spots due to moisture[/size][/FONT]

[size=1][FONT=ArialMT]problems arising from the impermeability of the vinyl flooring[/FONT][/size]

[size=1][FONT=ArialMT]and ventilated and insulated crawlspace underneath.BSI_009[/FONT][/size]
Sorry will not open larger will see how to post it better tomorrow

From the footnotes:

  1. The pink color comes from digestive enzymes exuded from mold that react with the plasticizers in the vinyl. The mold comes from the substrate being wet because of the impermeability of the vinyl. No vinyl no problem.

IMHO, with a continually damp crawlspace underneath, we have a different situation than at a window with apparently heat damaged floor.


Sorry I disagree I find it in Bath rooms beside the Toilets and Kitchens in front of the sink.
From my experience it is caused by water and all that I read says it is from dampness.

When I saw the discoloured (dark yellow) vinyl flooring around the edges of hot air floor registers (2) close to/over the hot air plenum of the furnace, can you tell me where the moisture came from?

BTW, are the other HI’s who claim they saw discolouration from the sun incorrect? Should they be looking for a moisture source and disregard the obvious?

It is obvious that you haven’t read enough. In the following article, there is a picture of sun discolouration!!

http://www.ntlfloortrends.com/CDA/Archives/7af4128d701b7010VgnVCM100000f932a8c0_

ANd this JUST happens to be from a flooring website with pictures taken by TARKETT employees!

If the home has air conditioning ,then I expect this could be the cause condensation cold from ac . Ac shuts of cool spot sucks in moist air .
It is hard to do an inspection with out being able to see the home .

I have not read where sun can cause this but I do know Foam carpets sure can cause staining .

("**It is obvious that you haven’t read enough. ") **

Thanks for the dig it is obvious to me and many others you are still an ***** Hole .
Thanks for confirming this again …

Aluminum sliding glass doors will freeze and have a build up of ice on the interior. I know because I had this problem once. Especially true in homes with high humidity. Possible someone applied heat to melt the ice scorching the vinyl. Happened in my first home.

B.

Don’t think so in this case, Bryce

http://www.thefloorpro.com/community/vinyl-flooring-q-and-a/6956-discoloration-on-vinyl.html

http://www.floorcentral.com/vinyl-linoleum-floors/staining-of-sheet-vinyl-flooring/

Sun spot yellow (heat degradation)

  • Looks like big freckles in a solid brown or purple.
  • Found near heat registers and sliding glass doors.

Stains and Discoloration
<LI id=jsArticleStep1 itxtvisited=“1”>A variety of reasons cause a vinyl floor to stain or discolor; spills are one of the most common causes. To avoid a spill that stains the floor, wipe up all spills immediately. The sun and heating vents may discolor a vinyl floor as well. Keeping the room shaded during times of the day when the sun is the strongest can avoid discoloration from the sun. Keep heating vents away from vinyl flooring material to avoid discolorations around the vent. Rubber soled shoes and nylon socks or stockings can cause the floor to discolor as well. Remove shoes before walking on the floor.

And finally… http://www.**nachi.**org/sheet-vinyl-flooring.htm

Heat and direct sunlight can also cause discoloration. Areas near heating vents, radiator legs or supply pipes, as well as spots near windows and glass doors, may be at risk. It is best to avoid installing sheet vinyl flooring in spots that will be subject to high levels of heat, and to use curtains or shades on windows that would allow vinyl to be bathed in direct sunlight for extended times during the day.

I agree with Brian it’s heat degradation. I’ve seen the almost exact same thing as that picture many time before. Newer vinyl doesn’t seem to do this and with more houses using low-e glass you don’t see this much anymore.

Is the floor covering linoleum?, if so, I agree with Christopher Currins. When I was a child I used to make small fires with the reflecting rays of the sun through a glass. From the picture, it certainly has the looks of a heated area. If the sliding door faces south, you bet the problem is due to the sun heating effects due to its angle and the short distance to the floor when the sun is at its peak.

Definitely odd, the home owner (my client) had no idea either. The flooring looked perfectly fine from the basement.

Thank you