WoodFlooringGuy.com

Q: Can previously wet underlayment cause cupping in newly installed wood flooring? A: Yes, if it hasn’t thoroughly dried before installing the new floor.

Q: I have a wood floor that has been cupping since installation. The installer argues that we have moisture issues and we do show high moisture ratings. However, when we take up the baseboards the wood floors have been installed up to or within 1/8 inch of the drywall. I know wood needs space to [...]

Could it (cupping) be caused by not running the air conditioner and the moisture builds up and falls to floor when air conditioner is then turned on? I also read that a new home contains about 500 gallons of water from all the new materials to construct the home.

I have recently laid a oak floor in my living room and dining room. The floor has started to lift. Is this common and does it settle down after a while?

We put in a hard wood floor this February, 2008. Our room is 24 x 27. It has been real humid this past week and we have two places that are cupping. How can we fix this without tearing out the floor and starting over? We do not have air in our house.

I had hardwood floors installed last spring. We noticed within a few weeks that the seams were rising, creating a wavy effect. Our flooring contractor advise us that this fall when we begin to use the heat it will correct itself. It has not. What do you think?

You were kind enough to give your opinion on our floors last fall. Now we’ve given it several months, with a dehumidifier running non-stop in the crawl space. The floors have gone down some, but there is still a noticeable cup. Apparently the wood floor installer said that it is relatively dry beneath. Although we’ve had a weird winter, it has been very dry due to heat for at least 2 months. We’re thinking have them come back in now and resand. We tend to have very rainy wet springs/early summers (although it could also be a drought!) Does this sound reasonable to you?

We are building a new home. It is pier and beam construction. Our cherry floors were installed in Nov. and then covered with cardboard to protect them until finishing them, last month. Uncovering revealed severe cupping and the wood was above 10% moisture and could not be finished. The flooring company suggested running heaters, which was done for 2 weeks with little result. When the contractor got the central heat running the floors began to dry out but then actually increased in moisture again. There is no water in the house or under the house. We had a lot of rain and cold in Dec. and Jan. and they are telling us this is a normal thing and the floors will be fine once dry and finished. What do you think?

Our solid oak floors (installed in March 2006) are cupping. We were told to run a dehumidifier which we are doing, but we can’t see or feel any difference.

If we install 3/4″ x 8″ t&g solid wood, wormy red oak (finished in place) floors in the non-conventional, non-recommended fashion of fully adhering the boards over a structural concrete slab, using Sika’s T55 adhesive… and if we have no moisture drive problems from the slab and also have a well functioning humidity control system in place in the home, how likely is it that we will still experience cupping of the wood floors?

We bought a home that is 12 yr. old this past February. The dining room, living room, and family room already had red oak hardwood flooring (solid). The kitchen and foyer had tile. Before we moved in we had the tile taken out and hardwood installed to match existing (hardwood sat in the house for awhile before installation). We also put it in the upstairs hallway. The newly installed hardwood is now cupping while the existing is flat. This makes me think it is not a humidity issue or else it would all be cupping – right? I live in VA which is pretty humid and would appreciate any insight you could give.

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?

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?

(TN) We are in the final stages of having red oak flooring installed in our home. We chose to have a water based varnish applied vs. the oil to allow more of the true wood colours to show. Prior to application of the water based varnish the floor was smooth and level. Subsequent applications of varnish have resulted in slight cupping in the flooring.

There is a large bubble in a click-type engineered floor in our basement. It was installed 6 months ago. The dealer says it is due to excess moisture and will charge for a T cap, removal of quarter round and repair to board. Is this reasonable?

What can cause hardwood floors to buckle in some areas? No water or liquids have been left standing anywhere. The owner of the home is blaming my family and I, since they have occurred after we moved in.

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)?

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?

Due to severe damage in my house, I recently had new oak floors installed on the second floor of my home I live in a hi-ranch in NY. My problem is since the installation 5 months ago I have had many large sections or areas of the second floor that have cupped. I put the contractor on notice and he came to the house and he admitted there is a problem but could not determine what would cause the cupping. He had his moisture meter and found everything dry. PS as a side note the wood did acclimate to the house for 3-5 days inside prior to installation. The floors are a #1 oak and were finished with 3 coats of satin poly. The installation was very tight board to board, no gaps. Now knowing that the only thing that has caused the cupping is expansion due to absorbing moisture. And it did not absorb moisture from the surface because it’s sealed.