Warped Wood Floor Problems Near Geneva, Farmington, Canandaigua

Identifying The Cause & Solutions For Damaged Floors

As temperatures and humidity levels in your home vary, wood flooring will expand and shrink in its width and thickness. When it expands too much, buckling occurs.

The beauty, natural appeal and warmth of hardwood flooring is something that homeowners have appreciated since the earliest days. However, wood flooring is one of the most challenging floor types to install and maintain. If the proper steps aren't taken to preserve your investment, it can easily be ruined.

At Halco Basement Systems, we can provide a variety of solutions to help you upkeep your home's flooring, preserving its beauty, value, and functionality for years to come.

Meet with one of our professionals to see what we can do for you; we're ready to help! We offer free quotes for a variety of related services within the New York service area. Call or e-mail us to schedule an appointment!

Cupping Wood Floors

Cupping occurs in wood floors when the edges of the boards are higher and the center is low. This is a sign that the moisture levels in the wood are uneven from top to bottom. Specifically, it happens when the wood is wetter on the bottom of the board than on the top. As the wood expands with moisture, the boards are crushed against each other, causing the edges to lift upwards.

Wood floors experience cupping when moisture becomes trapped underneath the wood. This sometimes happens when there's been a flood that has seeped into the floor. However, the most common cause of cupping wood floors is due to humidity being trapped in the wood from below.

If wood floors are placed directly on concrete with no vapor barrier installed underneath, humidity will pass through the porous concrete. If the first floor of your home is built over a humid crawl space or basement, that could also contribute to the problem significantly.

Crowning Wood Floors

Sometimes, a contractor will sand and repair a cupping wood floor before the moisture content has returned to normal. As it dries out, the floor will instead show signs of crowning.

Crowning wood floors shows symptoms that are the exact opposite of cupping ones--the wood is bent up in the middle and down on the edges.

This kind of flooring problem is sometimes caused by moisture imbalances in the wood, but it's much more common to see this occur as the result of the improper repair of cupping wood floors.

Some contractors will attempt to repair cupping wood floors by sanding them flat. However, as the wood dries out and returns to its original shape, the sanding will result in crowning wood.

Cupping and crowning also occurs naturally, especially in the case of wider wood planks. This is because the outer "bark side" of lumber will swell more than the side of the lumber closest to the heart of the tree.

Sagging Wood Floors

Often, a swelling, buckling floor can be repaired with little trouble or expense. However, if the wood has begun to show rot or water stains, it may need to be replaced.

If your floorboards are not buckling, but instead the entire floor itself is sagging, then you may have an entirely different problem.

Sagging floors are often a sign of an issue with your crawl space. The crawl space beams may be experiencing advanced rot, causing the supports to sag.

Otherwise, your issue may be sinking or insufficient crawl space support posts. Sinking crawl space jacks commonly occur when your supports are built on weak or insufficient supporting soils.

In some cases, your home may not have been designed with enough crawl space supports to properly bear the weight of your home. In this case, you will need additional support to prevent further damage.

Professional Moisture Control Contractors in New York

At Halco Basement Systems, we pride ourselves in our quality, long-lasting solutions for moisture problems of all kinds. To preserve your wood flooring through proper moisture management in your home, or you'd like a waterproof solution for your floor, we have just what you're looking for!

For a free quote for any of our services, call or e-mail us today to schedule your appointment!

We proudly serve the New York area, including Geneva, Farmington, Canandaigua, Ontario, Walworth, Seneca Falls, Newark, Geneseo, Williamson, Waterloo, and nearby.

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