copper water line broke, hardwood is cupping.

last year

Water came up from our slab due to broken water line, (which has been replaced).
Our hardwood floors are cupping, and floor is wavy. We had 2 different moisture levels done by contractors and both measure between 23%-27% moisture in the hardwood. Everyone so far says we need to pull out flooring and plywood, and dry out our slab before laying new flooring. No visible sign of mold after 10 days. My husband wants to leave it alone and hope they dry out on their own. ( Fyi, our water bill for the month is 5x more than our usual usage). I'm very worried about mold or dry rot. Any advise? Should we bite the bullet and remove hardwood and underlayment of plywood asap, or wait and see?

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Comments (6)

millworkman
last year
You should have a Serve Pro or the like in to dry it with their large fans and industrial dehumidifiers. In fact should have been done the same day and covered by you HO Ins.
Jovi Flor
Original Author
last year
I had a restoration Co. Out and they wanted to tear out my floors, and put my furniture into pods before I even contacted insurance company. I didn't feel comfortable doing that. I contacted insurance company and they denied our claim. ( 30 years paying, never put in a claim before ).So that's that. ( So glad I didn't hire restoration Co. Or we'd be stuck w another huge bill).
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I'm sorry that you think I'm making snide comments. Actually I'm trying to point out that you're largely giving subjective information based on limited observation and trying to pass it off as fact. I'm a professional in the wood flooring industry, selling, installing and refinishing solid and engineered wood floors. What is your experience in the wood flooring industry? Most prefinished floors have urethane finish, whether they're engineered or solid. Most urethane finished, prefinished wood floors look plastic because of the factory finish application and curing method (unless they're hand scraped or wire brushed). Many solid floors (and some engineered floors) are site finished. They don't look as plastic because there is a different finish application method. Most people, professional or not, would not say that adding a coat of polyurethane to any floor, makes it look less plastic. Most people, professional or not, would not say that semi-gloss finish looks more natural. Of course that's my subjective opinion but it's one based on dealing with thousands of people who own wood floors. Now if you wrote that lightly sanding a prefinished wood floor to smooth out the ripply texture and applying an additional coat of polyurethane looks better to you, I could agree with that. But that's not what you wrote. I agree that adding a coat after installation will help with water absorption but I feel you have underestimated the risks that one exposes themselves to if they do so.
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I had a similar situation with an icemaker line that damaged the hardwood in the kitchen and an adjacent hallway. The insurer paid for replacement of the entire downstairs because the hallway hardwood had been discontinued. The adjuster indicated that if it hadn't been discontinued, they might try to replace only a few boards. (I would have fought her if that was a serious proposal, but it wasn't.) I'll echo weissman's comment -- I sue insurers on claims like this for a living, and for a small claim it's not worth it. The insurer should have brought in fans/blowers immediately upon you reporting the claim. Sometimes the fans/blowers can work wonders with drying things out, esp. if you're on a raised foundation.
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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.
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At this point, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you do nothing. This is a brand new finish. It will not perform to the level of the old finish for a little bit of time. An old oil finish (lets say 15 years of 'hardening') is going to be much HARDER than a fresh water based finish. You must be patient with this. Whomsoever 'let' you back in on that floor after ONE DAY is the one you need to speak with. Bona MEGA needs 10 days to reach a full cure (that means it is no longer soft enough to peel back with a fingernail). Bona Traffic HD cures in 5 days (again no longer soft enough to peel back with a fingernail). Please respect the youth that is this finish. If it took 15 years for the old finish to perform the way you say it did, you will need to allow this finish the same amount of patience for this new finish. Remember: a floor finish is a floor finish. It's chemical characteristics will not change. The laws of physics and chemistry will not change. The only part of this equation that can 'change' is the human being. Either accept the finish for what it is (super young and needing time and patience) or pay for another finish that will suit YOU.
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PRO
G & S Floor Service
last year
last modified: last year
Insurance company denied your claim. Was the plumbing not to code? They should cover a broken pipe that naturally broke.

If, the damaged pipe is under the floor. The flooring needs to be removed. You will have permanent crushed edges from all the cupping, leaving you with abnormal gaps.
Timothy Winzell
last year
Putting plywood over concrete and nailing solid floor to it isn't even remotely a "bad install", since it's been done before I was born and will likely continue after I'm gone, so you can ignore that "advice".

Was the moisture measured with a pin-type meter or pinless? Are there areas that aren't affected by the intrusion? If so, have those areas measured to determine what's normal for your floor and compare readings in the affected area. I've probably seen three instances of broken pipes in a slab, but my customers must have gotten lucky since the water didn't spread.

I generally recommend waiting, but ONLY if the moisture level isn't high enough to cause rot (which you probably wouldn't see within ten days).

It may help to install fans and dehumidifiers but it can be very difficult to draw moisture through the surface finish. The next step would be to remove some finish from the surface to allow the moisture to escape, assuming it's not over 20%. When the level is over 20% the wood can start to rot. If the level is high and you do nothing it's likely the next step will be buckling.

On another front, you may want to contact a private adjuster to read your insurance contract and determine whether the ins. co. is being honest. And you may want to contact a certified inspector to evaluate your floor and suggest remedies.
Timothy Winzell
last year
I think it was smart to deny the restoration company. I've seen many times where they tore up perfectly good floor that probably would have gone back down. They want to insinuate themselves into your situation and they often play on people's fear of mold.
Jovi Flor
Original Author
last year
Thank you! Our flooring was beautiful for 26 years.
We had 2 different types of moisture readers w pins and without. Both were done by different flooring companies and they were both consistent. Reading from 16-27% in every room. So if we do pull out the flooring, it will be very costly. I will look into a public adjuster thanks for the information.

copper water line broke, hardwood is cupping.

Comments (6)

millworkman

Jovi Flor
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copper water line broke, hardwood is cupping.

Comments (6)

millworkman

Jovi FlorOriginal Author

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Timothy Winzell

Timothy Winzell

Jovi FlorOriginal Author

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Jovi Flor
Original Author

Jovi Flor
Original Author