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Buckling of Bella Hardwood Floor

14 years ago

Installed 3/8" Bella Brazilan Cherry flooring which has

developed long cracks/splits. Also in locations where no cracks or splitting is observed numerous pieces are concave.

Cracks/splits are located in concave and where the flooring is flat.

Followed all installers recommendations including

leaving flooring in the rooms for 10 days to adjust

to heat and humidity.Installed 1/8" luan over existing

floor.

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Comments (6)

msgreatdeals
14 years ago
I had been thinking of getting the Bella until I read your previous post. I have now decided on BR-111 after reading so many good things about it on this forum. They have a great sale on it right now.
How are you coming with getting a independent exam of the wood and install?
bradley011882
14 years ago
Sounds to me like you have moisture problems. I agree with msgreatdeals you should get an independent inspector to take a look. Make sure they are NOFMA or NWFA certified inspector before you do anything you can find out if they are on each repsective site. If it is a problem with the wood then you have a case.
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It's perpendicular to the joists. When the first hump appeared, I was convinced it was from a joist, but then it started happening all over so I wasn't sure. It's pretty inconsistent; there will be a stretch of about 8 boards with no tenting, then one, another couple boards, a tent, more boards, two tents in a row, etc. I agree that from what I have seen in pictures, it doesn't look horrible; I am a bit shocked that it's a problem though in our home considering the climate we live in; nobody here has issues with too much humidity, it's the opposite, considering we spend 1/2 our winters in -30 degrees Celsius. We all have humidifiers installed in our homes to keep our floors from gapping too bad in the winter! I talked with the builders site assistant today, and asked if he has seen this in any of the other houses in the neighborhood that were completed around the same time as ours, or since; and he said he hasn't. Will this kind of tenting damage the actual floor boards? Is the integrity of the finish and wood destroyed from the extra stress on the boards when they are tented and then walked on all day? This post was edited by CLJP on Fri, Jul 5, 13 at 2:11
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Comments (11)
Here is my take... Since the existing is flat, it tells me that the existing was installed at the regions average MC, or gaps were left in it during the installation if it took place in the low humidity season. Acclimating a floor in a low humidity season, and installing it tight, is just as bad as no acclimation at all. There is a documented average regional moisture content for wood. Each species of wood has what is called a shrink & swell coefficient. It is a number so you can do the calculations to see exactly what the wood is going to do given a rise or loss of moisture content. If the wood is acclimated to the heating season or season of low humidity, gaps need to left in the field of the installation, so when the humidity does rise, the wood doesn't compress the edges, in a cupped appearance and eventually buckle if it is excessive pressure. Proper acclimation isn't just sitting the wood in a room. Actually far from it. I'd say improper acclimation issues, brought on the condition your seeing. Cupping from a wet humid basement or crawl space, will show up faster then 5 months. Take all that with a grain of salt... I'm sitting here, and not there with my moisture meters.
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Comments (12)
I have hickory floors, but I went with an engineered wood by Hallmark floors. We got a handscraped, distressed look. I have three active boys and my floors are also in my kitchen. We've had it a year and the floors look great. I really like the character in the hickory and it seems to take abuse. We live in a harsh climate and I haven't seen any damage at the entries or after one of the boys drops something heavy (and that happens, a lot). We talked to a lot of flooring professionals...I think we went to every floor dealer in a 30 mile radius....when debating whether to go with engineered or solid. One of the more reputable dealers said they no longer did solid hickory in wider planks because of a lack of stability. She said hickory was especially prone to this. I am not sure what she meant by lack of stability (cupping, maybe?), but it might be something to ask about.
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Se went to the website asked for translation to English from what appears to be latin and got one weird translation. This appears to be a very new company and I would keep looking .You could try just phoning them directly since there is a contact number. Bella Legno just means beautiful wood. That link you posted does not work just google bella legno floors use first link that pops up
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janewagner
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for your input, were away last few weeks, installer has now offered to pay for 'independent' inspection but will insist on a NWFA or NOFMA person. Moisture in these two rooms simply cannot be the case as the ceiling in basement (subfloor to first floor rooms) has no dampness but will keep you posted. The cracks are now about 40 in number with new ones popping up weekly! Oy vay!
floorguy
14 years ago
Moisture is also all around us in the air, in vapor form. We call it humidity.

Cracking and cupping are signs of the wood going through cycles of shock, with swings in humidity levels.
glennsfc
14 years ago
Yes, it is a moisture issue, I agree...

Install one of these exotic manufactured products in the desert and see what'll happen.

How was the flooring attached? Glue? Staples? Floating? You don't say...
2ajsmama
14 years ago
I didn't have buckling but I had lots of checking in Home Depot special order Brazilian Cherry - inspector said it was improperly dried, even though we had let it acclimate, the installer (my cousin) didn't have a meter so didn't check the humidity of the wood, though we did acclimate the first part we put down for 2 weeks and the last part (it took him a while working nights) for another week. We got HD to reimburse us for the wood after they ordered replacements and they were checked in the box (I stopped after opening 4 boxes).

We had Bellawood 3/4" thick 3.25" wide BC installed 10 months later, installer made sure the wood was no more than 4% difference from room, we have had no problems so far (that was in Sept 08), though I have heard crackling and popping as I walk on it (over 50% RH in house right now).

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