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

You have to put down a vapor barrier against the soil and seal it to keep the moisture out of the crawlspace and home. Then, you can use the right kind of insulation. You want to be sure and do a moisture test before proceeding with choosing the type of flooring that will work in your home. And you also want to be sure to use your AC in the summer, and potentially a humidifier in the winter to keep the moisture levels relatively stable. And I agree with the others. Without a doubt, it's a moisture issue causing the problem. You now have to play detective to find out what's caused the elevated humidity issues.

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.

Hi Cheryl...sorry to take so long to answer. I didn't get an update for your post (oops). A wood floor (anything wood actually...and any finish in the home including paint, drywall, cupboards, doors, trim, windows, etc) rely on indoor living conditions. Believe it or not, there is an 'industry standard' for the definition for "indoor living conditions": Temperature to be maintained between: * 15 Celsius - 28 Celsius (59 F - 82 F) Humidity to be maintained between: * 35% - 65% Relative Humidity (air borne humidity) When it comes to wood flooring, the floor (your pretty stuff that is cupping) needs to be within 3% of the moisture readings for the subfloor. An example: Subfloor moisture reading: 11% Wood Flooring moisture reading: 9% This is an acceptable range for INSTALLATION. That is to say, the install is allowed to go ahead with readings such as these. To be blunt, your indoor humidity readings are FAR TOO HIGH. The 12% difference between upstairs and downstairs is what is causing the cupping. The moisture in the air is trying to move down it's own concentration gradient (moving from wet areas to dry areas). It is doing this by moving THROUGH your floors. This is why you need to get the builder in here ASAP!! Their readings BEFORE the floors were installed (and with readings of subfloor AND wood flooring) and how LONG the wood was acclimated ON SITE and the SITE CONDITIONS at the time of install (was the HVAC up and running or was the builder saving money by keeping the heat off = not having to pay the electricity/gas bill while the house is being finished) are PARAMOUNT to their defense (against future liability). If they do NOT have them = you win. But this could get ugly. So be prepared. I would question the HVAC mapping for your house. I would question the viability of installing hardwood with an HVAC system not properly 'tuned' (our sourced) specifically for humidity regulation. I'm not an expert about what you can ask for. It depends on what the HOMEOWNER was allowed to choose versus what the BUILDER provided (what costs included basic systems vs. what upgrades should have been ordered to maintain homeowner choices). For instance, the HVAC might have been a base model with no particular function other than heat and air movement. The LOCATION of the house and the SIZE of the house might not have been taken into account. The size of the basement and the amount of air exchanges might not have been calculated correctly. The issues could go on and on. Or they could have been perfectly suited for the house but the homeowner might not have turned things 'on' due to personal/financial choice. Whew. You can see how TWISTED this gets just by asking 'what can I ask for'. See what is on offer. Get all the inspections you feel are necessary (wood flooring inspection with HVAC inspection/mapping/calculations) and then see where the 'foreseeable problems' SHOULD have been mitigated by a professional Construction Company licensed in your State.