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Newly installed warping wood floor?

Anne Mulholland

8 years ago

We recently remodeled our kitchen (finished in August) and replaced an old tile floor with wood. We also removed an old chimney and the house is from the 1900s so the subfloor wasn't completely level. There is a space between the island and the floor and it also seems to be warping. You can feel and see visible hills and valleys and large space under kitchen island. My contractor says this is just settling and issues with the subfloor but I don't think a new floor should look or feel like this. Have you seen this before? Any idea of things that can be done to improve this situation?

Featured Answer

User

8 years ago

"Installed a wood floor" says nothing. What was the subfloor? What "issues" with that subfloor is the contractor referring to? What fastening methodology was used? What was the home's humidity when the wood was delivered and what was the moisture content of the wood? What about at installation? What was the moisture content then? How are you maintaining humidity control in the home now after installation?

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Comments (6)

glennsfc
8 years ago
Your new floor should not, as you said, look or feel like this. The contractor's job is to provide a reasonably flat subfloor on which to install new product. I have no way of knowing what structural issues may be involved here, but 'settling' probably is not be the cause of the issues with your floor.
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PRO
Uptown Floors
8 years ago
More than likely it's an imbalance of moisture (relative humidity) between the kitchen and what's underneath it. Most people obsess over acclimation but rarely address the conditions elsewhere. IE: high humidity or moisture levels in basements and crawlspaces.

That's one of the crazier excuses I've heard.
glennsfc
8 years ago
Ken,

I see a significant dip in the picture. That should not happen. However, what you say about moisture imbalance is very true. I have seen existing floors that were perfectly fine undergo noticeable changes when homeowners altered or added on to a house during remodeling. Very interesting what can take place when you add insulation, new windows or otherwise change the environmental conditions in a living space. Then, try and explain that to the average homeowner...ain't easy.
Anne Mulholland
Original Author
8 years ago
Thank you for your thoughts. Installer came by today and tested for moisture, which is definitely present. They say only solution is dehumidifier in basement. Since the "wet" area is where there was an open area to the basement (they must have realized this after the demoed chimney and tile floor) before they laid the floor, could we have put waterproof board similar to what you would use in a shower to avoid this? Was this an oversight or is there no way to waterproof/seal an area under wood flooring?
PRO
ULTIMATE HARDWOOD LTD
8 years ago
First the 'installer' should have taken readings prior to install. Second an underpayment such as Aqua bar b should have been installed,then the wood flooring. I'd ask the original installer to produce those readings prior to his work commenced. De humidifier will only work temporarily unless your gonna run it year round. You may have a claim against the installer if they cannot produce readings prior to install.
30 m/c readings per 1000 sq ft
RH should be 30-50% (oak likes 30-40%)
Temp needs to be room temp.
Start with this.

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