HELP!!! Hardwood Floors Cupping
kathy50
13 years ago
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woodfloorpro
13 years agoRelated Discussions
Hardwood Floors Cupping - Help Needed
Comments (7)What did the installer place between the plywood subfloor and the wood flooring? Anything? There are several ways to handle moisture in crawl spaces. The poly is fine, however it does nothing to prevent moisture from coming into a crawl space through the vents and condensing under certain temperature conditions. Is your crawl space vented? Relatively new protocol is to seal the crawl space and provide dehumidification. The rationale here is that if the occupied space is climate controlled, then the underfloor space needs to be controlled as well to prevent unbalanced relative humidity levels between the two spaces. If you have a drier environment above the floor than under it, you will see the cupping you experience from time to time with this floor. Two simple temperature and humidity indicators will be able to tell you the temperature and humidity level differences between the two spaces. You can purchase these for about $20 each at any Radio Shack store. Then, you do a little research on the subject "relative humidity"...and that may help you understand what it going on with your floor. We will be curious to learn what your flooring inspector may tell you, should you go that route....See MoreNew Hardwood flooring Cupping and Buckling
Comments (24)Hi brickeyee, you wrote that "winter installed floors are not laid all that tight" Are you saying that professional installers (meaning installers worthy of the word "professional"), would know not to lay the boards tight in the winter and allow for summer expansion? I'm asking because my kitchen floor is experiencing cupping similar to the original poster's description. I'm in MA, and our kitchen wood floor (3/4" Somerset hardwood, tongue and groove) was installed at the end of January. The wood itself had been sitting in a room adjacent to the kitchen for a month prior to installation. The installers definitely put the boards in tight at that time (I could see that). Now in the summer, with weeks of humid weather, the floor boards are cupping. No buckling, but I am wondering about the long term consequences, as I simply have no knowledge of this area. The basement is humid at this time of year, but none of the 100 year old floor boards in the other rooms over the basement are cupping. Yes, they do have slight gaps between the boards--that is part of their character. But only the new flooring in the kitchen is cupping. Should the installers have known not to install the boards so tight together in January? They are local residents of MA, so they know it gets humid in the summer. And (of course) no one asked me whether I wanted the boards to go in tight, and would I have minded if there were gaps to allow for summertime expansion. Thanks! Lee...See MoreHardwood Floors installed 6 months ago are still cupped and squeak
Comments (18)If, your flooring is cupped. You need to get your basement RH level down. It needs to be lower than the level above. Usually between 30-35% RH. Otherwise, your subfloor will not dry out. If, the above level is around 35% or lower. Try increasing it to 40%. As jfcwood mentioned, the bottom of your floor boards has a higher moisture content causing the base of the floor boards to expand. In order to shrink it, the RH level needs to be lower along the base of the floor boards. Cool, wet air is a wet basement. Check sump pump wells, it can be holding water. Are you running a dehumidifier? Are you by the water? Is the cupping consistent throughout the home or is it isolated to a particular area? Are you using a diluted cleaner? Also, did the NWFA inspector take a wood moisture reading with a lignometer? The reading should be consistent throughout, cupped or not. Are you able to take a reading of the subfloor from underneath? If, finished is there a vent you can take a reading from? The reading should be within 3% of the sub-floor to be considered stable. If, it is then someone needs to be responsible for a tear out and redo. Who or what caused the moisture issue?...See MoreWill the cupping hardwood floors on our new construction lie down?
Comments (48)If it is cupping, it looks pretty slight to me. Cupping--unless it's evident shortly after installation--is usually the result of moisture imbalances which are due to environmental conditions outside the contractor's control. Cupping is more evident the wider the flooring width which is why I recommend engineered hardwood for widths greater than 3" As a point of calibration, the performance standard published in NAHB's Residential Construction Performance Guidelines for Professional Builders and Remodelers is: "Cupping or crowning in hardwood floor boards will not exceed 1 /16 inch in height in a 3-inch maximum span measured perpendicular to the long axis of the board. Cupping or crowning appearing after installation may result from fluctuations in the moisture conditions in the house, causing a noticeable curvature in the face of the floor boards. Cupping or crowning caused by exposure to moisture beyond the contractor’s control is not the contractor’s responsibility." If the OP wants to minimize cupping, they'll need to control the relative humidity in the living space as well as the space below the floor. If it's a basement or crawl space, moisture controls need to be in place and some amount of conditioning may be required....See Morekathy50
13 years agokathy50
13 years agowoodfloorpro
13 years agobrickeyee
13 years agolivingdesignbuilders_gmail_com
13 years agobrickeyee
13 years agoschuezz
7 years agoCancork Floor Inc.
7 years agonikki1307
7 years agoCancork Floor Inc.
7 years ago
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