You had wood floors that were cupped out of the box, and you installed them anyway??? What was the moisture reading of the wood? Of the subfloor?

Moisture, moisture and more moisture. Sophie is pointing out something that is unclear in your statement. You make it sound like the planks were defective BEFORE they left the box. Is that true? If you have documents showing the product was warped BEFORE IT was applied to your floor, then you have a fighting chance.

The expansion gap may not be acceptable either (cupping won't disturb the expansion gap...heaving will). Many solid hardwoods have 3/4" at walls. We've already established fault with install (the expansion gap is super easy to prove).

Now for the HOMEOWNER side of things: Relative indoor humidity. That means what is the water content in the air inside your house? What about the basement? What about the subfloor readings??? Crawlspace? Etc.

As for the "squeaking" it can be a number of things. But before I go any further, you are missing half the story: What is the subfloor (concrete, plywood, OSB, fibreboard, gypcrete?????what is below the hardwood)? What is the method of install (glue down, floating, nail/staple/cleat)? What is the underlay (if any)?

What were the RH (relative humidity in the home) at the time of install? What are of the world do you live in (South Carolina has a VASTLY different climate than Las Vegas Nevada)?

So many reasons why this went wrong. We will need the FULL story before offering up more information...just too much information is missing to say 'yah' or 'nay' to "pay them or don't pay them" question.

And if the NWFA inspector suggested the floor will 'uncap' (?uncup? or settle down) through the winter, then it SOUNDS like s/he is eluding to RH (humidity in the home/basement/crawl space, etc). Is that correct? Winter is the DRYING season. A "wet" or cupped floor can be dried out over the winter - which indicates the home is DAMP throughout the rest of the year. So many things need clarity.

What's the moisture differential between the top and bottom of the flooring pieces?

No I don't believe the material was cupped out of the box. The humidity in our house was within the normal range on the high side upon installation. However the installer only had proof of taking one meter reading (within the manufacturer specs) of the subflooring and the material. I did not see him even do a meter reading. I was watching the whole time.

The original installation done in Sept. 2016 lacked almost no expansion gap. Then the installers cut into the flooring and cut a larger expansion gap in a few places in November 2016. The NWFA inspector we used said that the floor would uncup after a few seasons. He inspected after the initial install but BEFORE the attempted repair. He went into the crawlspace and measured, He said we have the driest crawl space he has ever seen. I live in the Pacific Northwest.

Then another NWFA inspector hired by the Flooring company inspected after the attempted repair and stated that the floors were cupped still. This was in December 2016. He also said the floor is not expanding. The boards all measured closely width wise.

The installation was stapled. There is some moisture barrier that is between the subfloor and the wood. The subfloor I think is OSB. It has like chips of wood pressed together. Neither inspector made mention that the subfloor was inadequate. Both thought the layout was very professional and precise. There aren't any large gaps between boards.

Now that the floors did not "uncup" as first inspector (hired by me) reported. What would need to be done to fix the floors?

With deference to your inspector I generally recommend to wait through a full year of seasons. Depending on where you are, summer and winter can have vastly different conditions. Wood floor can absorb moisture from the subfloor quickly but release it quite slowly through the surface since it has to come out at the joints. Ideally the floor installer would have delivered the material to the site a few weeks before install, removed it from the cartons and allowed it to acclimate. Construction schedules often don't allow for this so it's skipped. If the wood was at 6% and will ultimately want to be at 9%, it soaks in from the unfinished bottom first. The higher moisture makes the bottom grow more than the top and each board turns concave.

Do you use air conditioning? If so, you're just getting into the part of the year when the house would be closed more and the a/c would run and dehumidify the indoor air.

Knowing the moisture in the wood surface and bottom could predict whether your floor has reached an equilibrium or has room to improve. If the tops are 1% or 2% lower than the bottoms you shouldn't expect improvement. If it's 5% or more difference your floor would likely improve as the moisture reaches equilibrium.

How are you managing crawl space humidity? What is the actual reading of your hygrometer for both crawl space and ambient indoors? How do you manage indoor humidity in winter, and in summer?

I don't understand what you mean by tops and bottoms? Are you talking about the flooring material or the range of humidity in the air? If it's the flooring. Wouldn't we have to remove a piece of flooring to measure?

We don't have A/C but plan on installing in the future. However we need to figure out what to ask for in the settlement agreement with the Flooring store. I just don't want to sign a release indemnifying them of all liability when I know it's an installation issue and they want some cash to settle as well.

The material was delivered on a Friday and installed on Monday. The manufacturer specs say a minimum of 48 hours. The installer told us not to layout the boxes. They were stacked. I thought it was a bad idea. This was during Sept. 2016 it was very high humidity in the house.

I don't think we can wait until September, the one year mark to respond. I am thinking to pay $0 of the remaining balance and sign the release. I have never heard of paying someone and releasing them of liability. However if we have to rip out all the flooring and get new material and reinstall I won't be signing a release.

What is the width of the maple flooring?

4.75 inch planks

So let's say the material was not acclimated before installation. Which I completely agree with. It's been almost 9 months since installation and the floors are still cupped. The question I am trying to get answered is how if possible to get the floors uncupped or do we have to rip out the floors and get new material and reinstall? At what point is uncupping definitely not going to happen. The humidity inside the house is close to what we had at the original installation.

I keep getting asked moisture measurements. But don't you have to rip out a piece of flooring to get the bottom measurement? And differences of 5% on a meter from Home Depot probably wouldn't be accurate.

browniebear

Where are you located?

As stated above, Pacific Northwest. Indoor Humidity is 50%

You don't have AC? Or a humdifier, I'm assuming. Then how are you managing indoor humidity control? That is REQUIRED. And that is on you. You have to do your part. You're not holding up your end of the warranty requirement. And it's likely a big contributor to the issue. 50% is too high when you have an issue with wood cupping. It should be no more than 30% to get things to dry out. Plus, you have yet to give an actual moisture meter %. That also rules the cause and effect. This is not all the flooring store's responsibility for not acclimating. You bear responsibility for your indoor climate control. Without you doing that, the finger gets pointed right back at you for the ongoing issue, and any future inspection would do just that. You have to get that house dried out pronto. And keep it dried out.

Not acclimating a floor does not cause the ongoing issues that you have. A moisture problem in the home causes that.

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?

As stated in the initial post. The NWFA inspector said "Our crawl space is "one of the dries I have ever seen". Which contradicts the issue that the floorboard is too humid and causing the cupping. I also noticed two board ends are warped. It is on ground floor above a crawl space, not a basement. The inspector was here last October. We will take reading of the subfloor by removing a vent cover. I don't have a high end moisture meter. What I understand from the posts. Is that if the difference between subfloor and the top of the flooring material is less than 5%, the flooring has acclimated as much as it can and a complete tear out and redo would be necessary to fix cupping issues.

A dry crawl space can still have 100% humidity. How are you controlling moisture in your crawl space? That is also required.

So, the issue is above the crawl space area? What is the depth of the crawl space? Is there insulation and a vapor barrier underneath the floors? 3 feet vs 8 feet is a big difference with vapor pressure.