With glued floors, buckling can be caused by incorrect mastics, inadequate mastic transfer, subfloor separation, or subfloor contamination. TIA! I have a closet with Cedar flooring. They are over 100 years old. Diagnosing the issues means visually inspecting the boards and looking for whether the center of the board is higher than the sides (crowning) or the sides of each board are higher than the center (cupping). If I had to guess though, by insulating the underneath and installing the plank on top, you have altered the woods “normal” environment from the last 70 years and created an assembly where the moisture may have a harder time equilibrating and the wood may not “relax” completely. I would appreciate your thoughts on whether such a small spill could be the issue. What Causes Hardwood Floor to Buckle & Other Problems Such as Cupping, Crowning & Lifting Up? During the repair of the c… The spaces between the boards that were there during the winter will probably now disappear. ... Low, or reducing humidity causes the wood to contract again. Can the boards go back to normal if we find the source of the moisture and let it dry? In this case, drying work in the lower level of the home dried the wood flooring’s subfloor, and the radiant heat also lowered the RH in the joist spaces, causing the flooring to … Clean spills immediately and don’t use a wet mop to wipe floor boards. At the minimum, it sounds like the two pieces you have described may need to be replaced. This is usually slight, but in extreme cases, the wood can peel several inches away from the floor. The exposed decking in the window seat measures 27 but the floor joists against the house measures only 8. If the gutters are thought to be the culprit find out why and remedy it. 7. I had 3 1/4″ maple hardwood (Lauzon) installed on my second floor last May (2017). Now of course that just adds to my dilemma, nail down or floating? Had it sanded stains and three coats of an oil base finish. However, buckling can also be caused by insufficient nailing, incorrect nails, incorrect construction of concrete subfloors, or failing to use a vapor barrier (also referred to as a moisture barrier) or vapor retarder. I would reach out to the National Wood Flooring Association at http://www.nwfa.org and find a certified wood flooring inspector in your area to look at and report on the situation. https://www.thespruce.com/steam-cleaning-hardwood-floors-1314829 Good luck. He says if they replace my flooring, the cupping is likely to happen again. Thanks! Thanks for the question. What Are Crowning Boards? A flooring inspector can assist concerned business owners or home owners about the next step in fixing these issues. It depends how wet the floors are and how much moisture got under them. Crowning can also happen when cupped wood floors are sanded before the moisture is addressed. First, engineered flooring is touted as being more dimensionally stable, especially in varying ambient conditions. I’m assuming the only option at this point is replacing?? View our Financial Disclosure. Any moisture imbalance can cause problems with wood. We were concerned so we had two termite in spite inspectors come out as well as the contractor. The Orion moisture meter will test for bamboo flooring moisture content before installation to verify it’s at a proper moisture content and ready to install. We removed the dishwasher and the next day our hickory floors started to cup. This happens when the wood floor has been flooded for quite some time. Buckling is an extreme reaction to moisture and fortunately, doesn’t happen very often. However, those gaps will probably close naturally during the spring. Crowning can also be caused by previous floor cupping. Note that moisture content changes can be slowed, but not entirely prevented by protective coatings. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. In fact, you might even see spaces appear between boards during the winter. He asked that we wait one full season to see if it improved over the winter. In your situation, exterior drainage may be an issue. Or does it have to be replaced ? In the mornings there is dew and there are 2 vents in area for the foundation. When hardwood floors lift up at the center, making this area higher than the board's edges, they're crowning. Unfortunately, it came back the following summer only now it has travel further into the room and into the adjoining open kitchen. Hope this helps. Cupping and crowning can take place within a few days after installation, or it may take a few weeks or even months to manifest. Buckling is often due to flooding and happens after hardwood flooring has been submerged for some time. They are 6-8 in the other areas of the house not by that window. 2 pieces have swelled to the point where the gap between has elevated the edges to almost 45 degrees. Is there a good way to fix? I live in southeastern PA, where it is dry in the winter and humid in the summer. I run my A/C at 73 degrees all summer. Moisture creates tension differentials between the top and bottom layers of the wood. When the moisture content is higher underneath the board than it is on the face, the crowning and cupping will take place. I was told to check for pipes etc that could be the culprit. I have recently bought a house, and noticed after a few months of living in it that the carpet in the living room began raising up. We touched on this above. Our house is going on the market in 10 days, so we are stressing over the floor. When increasing MC causes a board to expand, the rest of the floor pushes back and restricts the swelling to some extent. Cupping. Now that its summer again, they’re badly cupped again. Thanks for the question. Again, the floor was installed to accommodate this type of movement. When it comes to wood, almost every type of flooring endures some expansion and contraction as seasons and humidity levels change. Major cupping caused by water damage is another matter. We noticed lately that we are seeing some strange dark lines that look like worms developing on many of the planks. Crowning, like buckling and peaking, occurs when a floorboard is higher in the center than it is on the edges. So my husband opened up the window seat of the bay window. P.O. What I would suggest is to visit: http://www.nwfa.org. It usually happens after water is left standing on the wood or if the floor’s exposed to high humidity over a long span. But in several areas the gaps are much wider than a dime. This additional moisture causes the wood to swell, and yes, break your heart. 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