Wood Floor Cupping Over Crawl Space

Crowning can also be caused by previous floor cupping.

Wood floor cupping over crawl space. Maybe one 6 inch pipe. Elevated crawl space moisture problems … with the passing of spring break, and the upcoming easter weekend, days become longer and temperatures rise. The outside air flowed under the subfloor and caused cuping. Second floor also failing with cupping over 65% of floor.

I live in southeast, la and the house has a 3' crawl space under it. Flooring over crawl spaces is a nightmare to begin with. Improper insulation placement over the crawl space caused cupping and buckling from condensation. It can also happen later if your basement or crawl space harbors more humidity in general.

When a wood plank cups, its edges become higher than its centre. Like cupping, wood floor crowning happens because the boards are exposed to a moisture imbalance over an extended period of time. Cupped floors occur when wood curls up and the edges of the board are higher than its center. There can be numerous causes to cupping, including an excessive level of relative humidity, relative humidity migrating from a basement or crawl space, water infiltration, etc.

I tried to research the proper insulation to use and i went with a sprayed open cell foam under the subfloor. The attic space along the perimeter knee wall, even though insulated, was open to the space between the framing and the brick veneer. Half inch ply wood and teak placed on top of that. Note the mildew and mold on the subfloor.

My new hickory solid wood floors are beginning to cup as soon it got hot and humid outside. Slab passed moisture reading required for gluing flooring. While it was 34°f outside, the crawl space was a balmy 74.8°f, with rh readings topping out at 69.7%. First round of flooring cupped.

This is a reaction due to a humidity level disproportion in the wood plank. Excessive water spilled on the floor from a dishwasher leak. They were concerned with cupping of the wood. Floor replaced with same type flooring using special moisture resistant adhesive.

As it dries out, the floor will instead show signs of crowning. Buckled or cupped wood floors are often caused by ground moisture in the crawlspace under your home. Different type of engineered hard wood, same moisture resistant adhesive. Now scheduled for third round of flooring.

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. Once both have reached the desired range, installation may proceed. The floor is not insulted. Installing a hardwood floor directly over a crawlspace exposes the wood to moisture from the ground and from the air in the crawlspace.

This cupping will gradually subside with time and multiple seasonal changes but may not completely go away. It ends up looking a little like an accordion. This is a sign that the moisture levels in the wood are uneven from top to bottom. How to keep wood floors from buckling and cupping (article)

That’s when the floor begins to cup — and when the wood floor reaches its limit of expansion, it buckles. Solid and engineered wood flooring can both cup. Watch this video to find out more. Talk to a reputable home building contractor about it.

Sometimes, a contractor will sand and repair a cupping wood floor before the moisture content has returned to normal. Roll roofing, tar paper like roofing over base flooring. I expect that a vapor barrier (plastic sheeting) should be placed in the crawl space, probably stapled and sealed to the underside of the floor joists. This house is near the coast in maine and both the contractor and flooring company strongly recommended against using tradional wood flooring on the first floor.

The crawl space should also be checked for a minimum 6 mil black poly covered in stone overlapped and run up the walls. With indoor ambient readings in all rooms averaging 72°f and 44% rh, i knew the crawl space would provide critical information to explain why the cupping occurred. To reduce humidity and moisture levels under your home, cover all the ground in the crawlspace with thick (6 mil) plastic sheeting. This kind of flooring problem is sometimes caused by moisture imbalances in.

Specifically, it happens when the wood is wetter on the bottom of the board than on the top. Put conditioned air in the crawl space. Also, vents must equal at least 1.5% of the total square footage of the crawl space. Tips for preventing damage to your flooring above a crawl space.

Living with the condition is one option but the cupped floor is unsightly and, if a new floor, is not likely to be chosen. Wood floor crowning is the opposite of cupping and happens when the center of the board is higher than the edges. Every wood subfloor over a crawl space should be tested for moisture. It is the start of the condensation season inside north carolina crawl spaces.

Most new homes being built on crawl spaces today, are being built on closed (meaning no vents), conditioned, or dehumidified crawl spaces. The moisture imbalance can be proven by taking moisture meter readings on the wood flooring. The minimum height for a crawl space is 18″ high and should have vents or a dehumidification system. This is especially common with new construction if the floor is installed before any type of hvac is running within your home.

As i entered the crawl space, my glasses fogged up immediately. Problems with putting wood flooring over a crawlspace. Cupping occurs in wood floors when the edges of the boards are higher and the center is low. If there is excess moisture in the concrete slab, crawl space, or basement below your wood floor, this can cause cupping.

The simplest way to think of wood floor cupping is to imagine the edges of each plank sticking up higher than the centers. Crawl space moisture and hardwood flooring crawl space moisture and hardwood flooringto understand the cause of wood floors cupping or buckling (when you’re sure there is no water damage due to a flood or leak), you must understand the relationship between relative humidity, your wood floor and your crawl space.during the summer months in the northeast region, wood subfloors and floor joists. Cupping is the result of a change in moisture content from one side of the flooring board to the other. Extend gutter outlet so water is taken away from the house.

Specifically, in the case of cupping, the crawl space (bottom) side of the floor board is exposed to a higher relative humidity than the living space (top) side of the floor board. I had a similar situation with a house redo with a crawl space. Crawl space construction is the most common. I know now wrong stuff.

My floor has the normal flooring first.