WoodFlooringGuy.com

We have a new wood floor installed in a new addition, over a newly built crawl space. The floor was installed during a very wet period of the summer (historic floods took place near that time). The floor was flat after finishing. We covered it with drop cloths for a few weeks while trim work was done. When we removed the drop cloths, the floors had cupped. There had also been a problem with drainage that the builder had fixed, but not before it flooded the new crawl space. Now we are stumped – the job is done, we are about to have it inspected, and the builder is saying to wait until winter for the floor to flatten out with the heat. What if it doesn’t? What if it still needs to be resanded and refinished? Whose responsibility is this? We are reluctant to move into the space before this issue is resolved, but how long can/should we wait?

How seriously do we need to take the humidity issue? (Of course, no-one told us about this when we were looking at hardwood as an option.) We mercifully don’t have a leaky condo. Do we really have to forgo fresh air?

We are building a cabin in the mountains and I am looking at possibly installing in hardwood flooring. We will not be in the cabin during the winter and there will be no heat as we don’t have electricity. Would hardwood flooring work in a situation like this and if so, what type of wood?

I just purchased a condo with hardwood floors that were installed about 3 years ago. It is summer in Chicago and it is hot and humid. The central air has not been on in the condo so far this summer so I am assuming that the floor has expanded about as much as it is going to. I see cracks in between some of the planks and in some corners the quarter round moulding does not cover small holes in the floor. The cracks between the planks do not bother me aesthetically. I am wondering if it is OK to damp mop the floor the way it is? Or is too much moisture going to get underneath the planks because of the cracks and holes?

When I bounce up and down on the flooring by the threshold that was removed, you can see the sub-flooring move up and down about an 1/8″. Could improper nail down of the sub-flooring be a problem?

Does 3/4 solid hardwood flooring work better in certain parts of the United States?

In January we had the carpet in our home replaced with hardwoods (four rooms). The new and older hardwoods were then all sanded and finished with an oil-base finish. Now, 6 months later, the new woods are cupping, not only in the rooms where there had been carpet, but also in the kitchen where new wood was used to patch a small area under a cabinet peninsula that we removed. Our first thought was that the cupping was caused by a moisture problem in the crawl space (we live in an area that is humid during the summer), but if that were true, wouldn’t all the hardwoods on the first floor be cupping, and not just the new wood? Does this have something to do with the installation? Acclimation? Finishing? What do you suggest we do to fix the floors? And can this be done without re-sanding and refinishing?

I installed pre-finished floors in my kitchen, family room, and entry way about a year and a half ago. They were installed over plywood which was over concrete. There was a moisture barrier put down as well. I have been noticing cracks slowly forming on the wood boards, especially now as we are transitioning from winter into spring. It seems like the cracks start somewhere within the board and somehow get to the surface and bubble up the finish. The cracks go with the grain. In all your answers, you say that the cracks are due to lack of moisture. Could the cracks also be due to too much moisture? I bought a hygrometer and put it on the floor and the humidity in those rooms run between 55% and 65%. I think in your answers, you said the relative humidity in the air should be between 30% and 45%. I’m just not sure if I should add more moisture in the air or take out moisture.

We installed our hardwood floors in Nov-05 and about six months later the floor started lifting. I had a gentleman come and do a moisture test and he mentioned the moisture should be 14% or below my moisture was at 25%. We have pulled all the floor up again and are wanting to redo it but can you please suggest what an individual can to put on their floor if there is moisture?

Does pre finished 3/4 – 2 1/4 birch wood have to be “aired” in the house before being installed. If yes, how long? Individually or just open the cardboard box on the ends?

I’m considering putting 5″ maple engineered floors on the 2nd story of my house (plywood subfloor).But I’m worried that when the power goes out for a week of two after a hurricane the humidity in the house will cause the floors to be ruined. If so, will they come back to normal? Also, is engineered flooring much better resistant to buckling etc.? Is there a particular species of engineered wood better then another?

I am in the process of renovating my house. One of the improvements is the addition of pre finished “Aztec Cherry” floors. I had a few people helping the day that we started the floors. The guy that had experience installing hardwoods was working on the 1st room while I was working on something else. This room is roughly 10′ by 15′. My concern is that, he didn’t leave a gap on the wall that the first strip of wood went down on. For the two walls that the wood runs perpendicular to, some of the pieces were cut to leave 1/4″ for expansion, but some run right up to the wall. On the wall where the last strip was installed a 1/4″ gap was left. I am wondering if you think that this will cause problems in the future? Is there anything that I can do to correct this problem? Also, should an expansion joint be left in all of the doorways? I would prefer to have all of the wood seamless, but want to install it correctly.

We just had a 3/4 inch common white oak floor put into the addition of our house. It is way too dark and even after bleaching it is still too dark. We would like to have it replaced. How do we deal with any damage that may occur to the subfloor? Will air and moisture be able to come through nail holes from crawl space under floor?

We are currently remodelling our home and plan on putting wood flooring in both our master bath as well as our laundry room. I know wood floors are generally not recommended for these areas because of water, moisture, etc. However, we are unable to be perfectly happy with any other flooring. Is there any particular species that would be able to hold up better than the others? Also, we are planning on painting both floors? Any suggestions?

I bought a home in New Mexico (extremely dry climate) three years ago which had been completely renovated. The entire home had been installed with soft wood flooring. The subflooring I believe is wood with a crawl space under the house. I noticed this winter that the floor was severely cupping in certain areas (the onset of which appeared to be quite sudden).

Providing I cut back the flooring along the walls and address the moisture issue once I determine it (as you assumed the crawl space has a dirt surface and there was no intentional source built into the crawl space for cross ventilation from what I can determine) will the cupping that has already occurred level itself back out or will I have to level it manually (i.e.- sanding)?

Two years ago we had our 30+ year old oak living room floor refinished. The results were excellent! We had the same guys install a new site finished oak floor in another room this year. The new wood was allowed to sit in the room for about 3 weeks this fall to adjust to the temperature and humidity characteristics of the house. A product that they referred to as liquid oak was used during finishing. I understand completely ( from the old floor refinishing ) that during the cooler months, separations will appear between planks and subsequently close with warmer conditions. My concern is that some of the separations in the new floor have a very jagged appearance. Both the finisher and I agree that this resulted from the liquid oak separating alternately on each side of the boards as the wood contracted. In a small ” test ” area, he used a putty type product intended to fill such openings. Would you advise applying this ” putty ” along all of the openings? Do you have any suggestions? Am I better off to see this through for a year of expansion and contraction?

I would like to install hardwood in my basement. I understand the moisture problems with basements, is there not a product out there that would seal the cement making it water proof? I was thinking of an epoxy paint, like the one they use on garage floors. Would this stop ground moisture from penetrating the concrete? I would then use a plywood subfloor prior to installing the hardwood.

We have recently had a solid oak floor laid in our living/dining area. The floor consists of oak planks (160mm x 20mm) glued directly onto concrete subfloor. Unfortunately the floor has buckled severely in couple of areas. How do we rectify this matter without incurring huge costs? Will it go back naturally with the aid of a dehumidifier or would we have to replace the whole floor?

I just bought the house yesterday and had the wood delivered right after the closing, oak, 3.25″. Somehow I haven’t activated my account with the gas company, so the heat has been off just right after wood was brought into the house. The heat will be off till Monday, 28th afternoon. Meanwhile, the temperature is about 18 degrees at night and going to be 16 tomorrow night. I put few electric heaters and humidifier, the temperature was about 59 degrees when I left. Would my wood be ruined or it can restore itself after the heat is back on? How long it should get acclimated after heat is back?