Q: We live in Ontario Canada and have a back split house in which we are thinking seriously about installing hardwood in the living room and dining room. The house was built is the mid 1970′s and it has that amber coloured mahogany trim incl. around door frames. The furniture in the house is french [...]
Humidity and Wood Floors
Backsplit house/crawl space/humidity issues when considering hardwood
September 26, 2011
Humidity and Wood Floors Comments Off
Q: We have a home in NC that we do not live in during the winter months. There are hardwood floors throughout the home. We do not want to pay high heating bills since the house is empty, but we also do not want to compromise the floors. What is the lowest safe temperature that [...]
May 262011
Q: I recently moved into a newly built log home in Northeast Ohio. I have hickory floors. The floors were put down in the dead of winter (January) and the humidity in my house was very low. By May I was having a problem with the floor, wavy in some areas and actually buckling in [...]
Q: My hardwood floors have developed a lot of popping/cracking sounds in recent weeks/months. I just saw on Weather Channel that people’s foundations and brick walls have been damaged from drought, and my state has had the worst drought in the nation for months. Could drought be causing the popping in my floors? A: Excessive [...]
Could drought be causing the popping in my floors?
May 20, 2011
Humidity and Wood Floors Comments Off
Q: We go away in the winter. I have ash floors and would like to turn off the heat while away. I live in NH and the house could get down to 30 degrees. Would turning off heat affect my floors? I have been leaving the heat on 60 degrees in previous years and there [...]
Jul 302009
I just purchased a small 2 bedroom home that has carpeting over a concrete floor. We are at ground level and want to lay hardwood flooring. What actions do we need to take prior to the installation to steer clear of moisture damage? Do we just lay some sort of moisture barrier or do we have to lay plywood?
Why is leaving a home unoccupied so detrimental to hardwood floors?
Unoccupied home detrimental to hardwood floors?
April 18, 2009
Humidity and Wood Floors Comments Off
Nov 282007
After 3-4 months I noted each plank developing a ridge lengthwise, and today it is quite pronounced. It can be felt underfoot. I have called the manufacturer. The rep came and did tests. He said it may be from the air being too dry although my barometer said 30%. I have a humidifier, but do not have it on now. The problem is worsening although rep said it will be better in summer, but not so far. The manufacturer rep said he would get back to me, but it has been over a month so I doubt it. The installer has referred to manufacturer. What can I do as I do not want a floor with these ridges and warranty is out end of June?
Mar 282007
My hardwood floors were refinished 4 years ago. In the past year the floor is darkening, and there is separating of boards. There are smaller, darker circular areas. Mostly in the living room, which was carpeted for many years, but also in bedroom which was refinished many years ago. Some of boards are separating in the living room, and I can feel a slight bowing. My basement is dirt – house built in late forties. Few of boards appear to be eaten. Termite inspection last year revealed no termites, but moisture.
Dirt basement and moisture issues
March 28, 2007
Humidity and Wood Floors, Moisture Damage, Spills & Flooding, Protecting Wood Floors Comments Off
Mar 282007
My home is located in the Kansas City area. I am currently in the process of finishing the basement. My wife would like to have hardwood floors. My main concerns in using a wood floor is moisture, the cold feel, and losing headroom from a built-up floor. I intended to use a subfloor material and install a floating engineered wood floor on the subfloor. I am considering two products to use as a subfloor for the wood floors. The two products are Delta FL (www.deltafl.com) and DRIcore (www.dricore.com). Both products are similar in that they use high density polyethylene (HDPE) as the vapor barrier. The major difference is the DRIcore product a 5/8†wafer board attached to the HDPE and per the Delta FL website, the wood floor can be installed directly on the HDPE. Do you have any experience with these products? Which product do you recommend or is there a better method?
Hardwood floors in basement
March 28, 2007
Equipment-Product Reviews, Humidity and Wood Floors, Installation Comments Off
We have a wood floor covered in a cement slush which is about an inch thick. We want to go over the cement since it has asbestos glue on the cement. The two contractors we’ve spoken to are encouraging us to put down plywood and then solid hardwood on top of that. We are also considering putting down a floating engineered floor with a sizable veneer. Which would you recommend?
Installing wood, over cement, that’s over wood?
March 14, 2007
Humidity and Wood Floors, Installation Comments Off
Mar 142007
We just installed N**** Floor Planks and parquet in our basement. We stained the wood and put dead flat finish as topcoat. It was 99% done, when some hairline cracks appeared, there were around 10 at first, but as the days progressed it multiplied. We sanded those parts and re-applied the top coat, but a day later, the cracks resurface and expanded? Is there a remedy? I am based in the Philippines.
If my hardwood floors were installed poorly…. My hardwood is glued directly to concrete, no vapor barrier, and there is no 1/2″ gap between floor and wall. How much moisture is needed to cause cupping, or worse, buckling?
My hardwood is glued directly to concrete, no vapor barrier
March 14, 2007
Humidity and Wood Floors Comments Off
Feb 052007
We had engineered oak hardwood glued down to our concrete subfloor in the lower level of our backsplit. It was done by a flooring company. They said the glue would allow the wood to float. It has been in 3 years and the only problem is that in the winter there are certain parts of the floor that pop when you walk on them. It is not in all areas and only happens in the winter. During the warmer months I don’t notice any play in the floor. The edges of the strips are not buckling. Is this something that we should worry about?
Wood floor pops in winter
February 5, 2007
Care & Maintenance of Wood Floors, Humidity and Wood Floors Comments Off
Jan 262007
Our landlord just installed new oak floors in several rooms. They are beautiful. But ever since their installation, we have VERY dry air in the house and cannot get past the choking feeling in the air, despite running a humidifier as much as possible. How long will this last (it’s awful during this flu season)? Any recommendations to help the floor to “settle in”?
Jan 262007
About 3 months ago I had bamboo installed in my second story bedroom over a plywood subfloor. Unfortunately, after a month of being installed 6 gaps opened ranging in size.
Jan 262007
The flooring as I understand it has a moisture rating of between 8-10. My heat designer said they recommend between 6-8. I have the new flooring laying on the radiant heat (in boxes) for about a week.
Dec 062006
I did bring in a professional hardwood floor sander/refinisher to finish the floor. It was only after the sanding and two coats of oil-based urethane were applied that I noticed and became concerned about the gaps between hardwood strips. I obviously had not checked closely before the refinishing began, so my mistake. I can only guess that being in this part of the province during the heating season, the humidity level was so low that the hardwood shrank appreciably.
Nov 072006
I’m having a problem with my wood floor popping when the furnace comes on and run for 30 minutes or more. I am getting this very loud popping in the flooring, is that a natural occurrence when the weather out side changes or is that something I need too be concern about?
Oct 122006
My hickory 4-inch-board floors were installed in December 2005 in a brand new home. The boards are not laying completely flat. They have like a wavy appearance and you can feel the waves with your hands. I noticed this probably a month or so after installation. I have been waiting, thinking they might flatten out in time. Also, I hear loud “cracking sounds” coming from the flooring from time to time. Could you tell me what caused this and if there is anything that can be done about it?
Wavy appearance of floor boards
October 12, 2006
Cupping, Humidity and Wood Floors, Moisture Damage, Spills & Flooding, Protecting Wood Floors, Repairs Comments Off
