I had a laminate floor installed by a private contractor in the summer of 2008. I live in Fresno, California. The last month the floor has "risen" in many areas and when you step on it, it will actually go down. You can see it and feel it go down. Some of the areas are high enough to even trip on sometimes. There has been no water spilled on it. It sounds like you are walking on Rice Crispies. There was a moisture barrier installed and the flooring had the pad attached. Help!!

The floor has to float on a flat surface.

Let's for the time being assume the underlayment is flat.

What the first statement means it that the floor cannot be constrained. There is a gap of aprox 1/4" (see manufacturer) all around the edges of the room.

Moulding isn't nailed to the floor. The floor slides under it.

The door jambs have to be undercut, so the floor slides under them.

Bet somewhere there isn't a gap.

The bulges will probably be in the long dimension.

Floor panels are separating at the seams throughout the rooms with laminate flooring.