Hardwood Flooring Cupping Problems

As furniture and people begin to inhabit the area it will bring about a new level of moisture and.

Hardwood flooring cupping problems.

Cupping means that the wood that is raised on the edges of each individual floor board. However this isn t a reason to tick hardwood floors off your list. It ends up looking a little like an accordion. Cupping has occurred when the sides of flooring are higher than the center of the boards the.

Here s a rundown on why cupping happens. How to fix cupped hardwood floors. Understanding what makes a floor cup whether solid or engineered can help prevent wood floor failures or once the cupping has happened can assist in diagnosing the source of the problem. Cracks and separations between boards cupping crowning and wood floor buckling.

The planks that make up wood flooring expand and contract based on the amount of moisture in the room. Take a minute to think of a tree. Usually problems with buckling or cupping in a wood floor are caused by excessive humidity inside or under your house. Top hardwood floor problems.

Here are some of the most common problems that occur while installing hardwood floors including cupping crowning and squeaky floors and instructions on how to fix them. How to fix cupped hardwood flooring. The center of the board dips below the edges. Any wood floor can suffer from cupping.

It s possible that a nonpermeable housewrap was used behind your new siding which is increasing the humidity level in your home. Wood floor cupping is a common problem that occurs with both solid and engineered wood floors. Wood floors were once trees. Or that the siding covered up existing foundation vents under your home.

If you think you can escape cupping by installing a bamboo or laminate floor you can t for they can also cup. If you imagine a picture of a child drawing a boat in the water then the water will give you a good idea of what a cupped floor looks like. The good news is that hardwood floor cupping can be reversed setting the planks back to their original condition. A cupped floor has a concave shape across the width of the boards.

What is cupping and how does it occur. If a hardwood floor is installed before a subfloor is properly dried or before the floorboards reach an equilibrium moisture content emc such as before the inside of a building s air is conditioned there is a chance for cupping later on. Whenever there is too much moisture the wood expands. Read about invisible moisture problems.