wood floor cupping in summer

Solid wood floor cupping occurs as a result of an elevated moisture content in the bottom of the flooring as compared to the moisture content at the face. In the summer you may see that your wood floor is cupping more commonly known as warping or bending.

Why Floors Cup And How To Fix Them Jeffco Flooring

What are the common causes of cupping in flooring.

. Using a dehumidifier might also be recommended in areas where hot humid temperatures are the norm during the summer months. For example if the cupping happened due to humidity from an especially wet summer and you sanded down the cupped areas when the air dries out the wood can warp the other way causing. A crucial factor is the relationship between air humidity and wood moisture.

If you live in an area with humid summers and dry winters or even vice versa your wood floor can react to the changing amount of humidity in the air. The general effect is easy to demonstrate by putting a small strip of paper onto a small drop of water. The simplest way to think of wood floor cupping is to imagine the edges of each plank sticking up higher than the centers.

These are all normal but if you would like to avoid these things there are a few simple fixes. In the early summer months humidity abounds especially if you live in hot Southern climates. If the cupping occurs after a proper flooring installation moisture measurement still provides a key to solving the problem.

Another common cause of cupped floors is failure to check the moisture contents of the subfloor and wood flooring before installation. During the summer months especially when the humidity levels are high hardwood floor is vulnerable cupping Sure it had the typical moisture retarder requirements under it but the overwhelming force of higher humidity from the basement was causing the floor to expand which causes cupping. Throughout the fluctuations in weather wood expands and shrinks.

During the summertime humidity levels tend to be higher than during the winter when indoor moisture levels are often dried out due to your heating system. Causes of Cupped Floors. Wood floor cupping in summer.

Hardwood floor cupping is usually caused by the top of the floor drying out. A dehumidifier is an excellent way to control your homes humidity levels. Even the most carefully installed flooring can be subject to hardwood cupping especially during the humid summer months.

The main cause of cupping in hardwood floors is the presence of excess moisture in the immediate vicinity. 5 Tips to Prevent Your Hardwood Floor from Cupping. Accurate moisture measurement in all of the pre-installation stages will ensure that the wood flooring will give the best performance homeowners expect.

Cupping occurs in solid wood flooring as a result of an elevated MC in the bottom of the flooring compared with the MC of the face. If the cupping is throughout your home humidity is likely the cause. It is not hard to see the effect in wood flooring either.

Air with a high moisture content MC or high relative humidity RH causes wood to gain moisture. Dry cupping is more common with engineered wood floor. Now that the summer is here and the humidity has gone up we are noticing a significant amount of cupping and in a few places the floors have started to buckle the floor has formed lumps and in two spots in the DR and LR the floor has actually popped up.

A wood floor is good to go when it reaches its EMC. If your wood floor is cupping the sides of the planks are lower than the middle creating a cup-like effect. During the summer all wood floors tend to expand because wood reacts to moisture.

The best prevention is to. However the new hardwood floor replaced an old hardwood floor. The suggested moisture range of most Hardwood floors is 6-9.

The material from which hardwood floors are made is especially susceptible to moisture due to the tendency of wood to absorb it particularly when it is present in large quantities to adjust its own moisture levels to match those of its surroundings. Throughout the fluctuations in weather wood expands and shrinks. It expands during one season and contracts in the other.

During the summer season indoor humidity can rise to levels as high as 90. This will cause the wood to expand and contract allowing moisture to enter the cracks between boards. The best way to prevent hardwood floors from cupping is to make sure they are professionally installed.

Wood Floor Cupping and Product Quality. We had new oak floors installed in summer 2016. Reichel offered these suggestions.

The two readings should be within 3-4 for solid flooring less than 3 wide and within 1-2 for solid flooring wider than 3 wide. Occurs when the flooring moisture is too low instead of too high. 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.

As mentioned above cupping can occur when the hardwood is exposed to hot humid temperatures in the summer and then cooler winter temperatures. The installer believes it is all due to too much moisture in house. And if hardwood flooring is exposed to high humidity levels for an extended period of time the floorboards may cup or crown.

It ends up looking a little like an accordion. When this occurs hardwood flooring tends to do the reverseit expands. Extreme moisture can cause cupping when the edges raise higher than the middle of the wood planks or even buckling.

Any wood floor can suffer from cupping. Change in the amount of moisture in the air relative humidity. This can cause warping issues such as cupping or in severe cases even cracked and split planks.

Dry air will pull moisture out of a hardwood floor causing cupping. In addition the entire floor is cupping. What is Hardwood Floor Cupping.

To help protect your hardwood floors against cupping follow these 5 tips. The wet subfloor wets the bottom of wood flooring which causes the bottom of the planks to swell causing cupping in summer she said. Of course you can check RH levels in your house with a hygrometer.

These readings can be taken with a moisture meter. After about 7-10 days we noticed planks lifting in one area. After about 4 weeks it was up to 15 planks lifting.

Only install acclimated wood floors. The paper will curl up away from the water.

How To Prevent Cupping And Worse In The Summer Months Sullivan Hardwood Flooring Llc