Engineered Wood Flooring Cupping Problems

Most often cupping happens when flooring is installed over a wet basement or crawlspace.

Engineered wood flooring cupping problems.

Just running a fan or dehumidifier for a week will not solve most problems. Solid and engineered wood flooring can both cup. Cupping and crowning are two terms used in the hardwood flooring industry to describe the reaction wood floors experience when there are problems with moisture levels in the home. Having a general appreciation of features and limitations of both solid and engineered wood flooring is a necessity for those working in the world of wood floors specifically when it comes to understanding how they both perform.

Cupping is caused by a moisture imbalance through the thickness of the wood. It should be noted that very slight cupping or crowning can take place within normal humidity changes such as with those of the changing seasons and periodically. But it can also happen because of excessive drying on top of the board. Installing hardwood flooring is hard thoughtful work that if done properly can yield lifetimes of warmth elegance and beauty in a home or commercial setting.

As noted previously moisture movement within wood can be slow. However if the cupping is due to an underlying moisture problem the floors will stay in this position until that problem is corrected. The planks that make up wood flooring expand and contract based on the amount of moisture in the room. Cupping has occurred when the sides of flooring are higher than the center of the boards the surface of the board has a concave shape.

Dry cupping is a problem i see all winter long with engineered products. Engineered wood flooring makes up more than half of the wood flooring sold and put to use in our industry. How to fix cupped hardwood flooring. Take the necessary steps to stop or correct the source of the moisture problem.

As you eagerly anticipate a successful installation be aware that problems such as warping buckling cupping and crowning can really ruin your floor and your dream. Whenever there is too much moisture the wood expands. Typically the cause of the imbalance is excess moisture from the subfloor. Can wood floor cupping be.

A vapor retarder installed between the subfloor and the floorboards can help the condition by slowing moisture migration but it shouldn t be relied on as a permanent solution to moisture problems. The wood is wetter on the bottom of the board than on the top surface which dries quicker than the bottom. Cupping most often appears after the floor has been installed and in some cases the floor will cup even if it was installed correctly. To fix the issue of cupping the first and most crucial step is to assess the moisture problems.