hardwood floor cupping causes

Another common culprit of floor cupping lies beneath the surface of your room. In other words water is introduced to the bottom of dry flooring boards.

Cupped Hardwood Floors

The moisture imbalance is proven by taking moisture meter readings at different pin depths.

. What Causes Hardwood Floors to Cup. Causes of wood floor cupping. This makes the board swell and expand.

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. This is when the real wood floor problems start like hardwood floor raising up often accompanied by cupping or swelling starts. Cupping is when the edges of a board are higher than its center due to moisture which causes the wood to.

The general effect is easy to demonstrate by putting a small strip of paper onto a small drop of water. Water Under Or On The Floor 2. As weve learned wood floor cupping is caused by the expansion of the floor planks due to moisture.

The significant change in temperature and humidity of air can cause the swelling of the planks. If the cupping is. Here is how to ensure that doesnt happen again.

Solid wood floors cup as a result of elevated. Moisture content change due to humidity combined with temperature can cause wood to contract and expand. What Causes Hardwood Floor Buckling.

Higher Extent Of Humidity 3. But the cupping of hardwood floors that happens due to seasonal change has a short-term effect. Fix any leaks and drainage issues that are causing it.

What happens when that moisture releases from the floor and it returns to its original state. Causes of Crowning and Cupping. A concave or dished appearance of individual engineered flooring planks with.

Anything from pipe leaks to a still-wet concrete slab to improper HVAC usage can cause cupping. When the bottom becomes wetter than the top floorboard it causes the boards to expand more on the bottom part than the top. Your hardwood floor during the Humid Season.

Common Causes of Wood Floor Cupping Humidity Levels. Buckling is like the opposite of cupping bowing upward into a peak instead of inward and sometimes even lifting off the flat underlayer surface. Common Hardwood Floor Problems and Visible Signs Cracks and Separations between Boards.

However raised moisture levels are not the only cause of cupping they can also be caused my lowered moisture levels depending on the type of hardwood floor installed in your home. Cupping occurs when your hardwood flooring lifts at the edges only. The moisture content causes a change in the wood boards and as it absorbs the moisture parts of the wood swell.

This expansion can create pressure between the boards which can cause the boards to. Hardwood cupping can lead to more serious issues such as cracked boards and peeling finish and could eventually cause the flooring to buckle. Humidity buildup under a house is one of the main reason for a wood floors cupping and buckling.

The wood is wetter on the bottom of the board than on the top. Cupping in hardwood floors is caused by a change in moisture levels in the air. Lets take a look at some causes and how they can best be dealt with.

Insufficient Or No Acclimation 4. The paper will curl up away from the water. Wood is hygroscopic meaning that it absorbs and releases moisture.

This can cause crowning cupping and warping problems that are expensive and hard to fix. The moisture causes the wood to expand which forces the edges up. Ensure that no water is standing in the basement or crawl space under your house.

Moisture can come from leaking water or water vapor from the surrounding air. More subtle cupping can be caused by lack of proper acclimation this is generally permanent cupping. Another common cause of cupped floors is failure to check the moisture contents of the subfloor and wood flooring before installation.

When homes are heated in the winter RH levels can plummet boards can shrink. High Relative Humidity Even the most carefully installed flooring can be subject to hardwood cupping especially during the humid summer months. The most common cause of cupped floors is the presence of moisture beneath the floor.

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. Buckling hardwood floors occur when there is excessive moisture caused by flooding or a build-up in moisture from say your basements concrete slab subfloor. 1 The most common cause of cupping is a direct result of job site.

During warm and humid summers your hardwood floor will absorb moisture from the air swelling and expanding as a result. Cupping in hardwood flooring is caused by a moisture imbalance through the thickness of the wood. The National Wood Flooring Association states the following on page 8 of the 2018 Technical Publication Problems Causes and Cures.

When one side of the floor is exposed to excessive moisture that side will expand causing the. Sanding a cupped floor flat before it is brought to a normal moisture content can eventually result in a crowned floor convex surface once the drying process is complete. The cupping of hardwood floors can be caused by seasonal change as well.

Humidity plays a huge role in the upkeep of your hardwood floors. The air conditioning of your house can also sometimes cause hardwood floor cupping. It is not hard to see the effect in wood flooring either.

Wood will try to match its internal. A moisture differential within individual pieces of flooring usually excessive moisture on the underside of the flooring. If there is an insufficient gap between boards for expansion the edges of the expanding planks are forced upwards and cupping occurs.

Potential sources of excessive moisture include.

What Causes Buckling And Cupping In Wood Floors Restoration By L B