woodflooranswers's Profile

Hopefully, I can provide a little insight that makes life easier for a lot of you. I'm a flooring consultant and inspector in upstate New York, and have no connections with LL.

Cupping - the only reason boards cup is that the top is drier than the bottom. As wood dries, it shrinks. If the top shrinks and the bottom doesn't, it will cup. This moisture imbalance can be caused by 1) the subfloor having more moisture than the flooring, or 2) the air above the floor being drier than the conditions the wood was acclimated to. All wood, no matter how cheap or expensive, will react this same way. It's just adjusting to its environment.

Some comments mentioned that when the flooring and subfloor were checked for moisture before installation, the flooring was much wetter than the subfloor, even after acclimation. Were the moisture meter readings adjusted for the type of wood being tested? Exotics are typically much more dense than plywood subfloors. If Brazilian Cherry or Brazilian Koa reads 12% moisture content and the subfloor reads 8%, they are actually the same moisture content.

Sorry for being so long-winded. If you want more info on selecting, installing, or maintaining your wood floor, check out my FAQ page at www.woodflooranswers.com (don't worry, I don't sell anything online).

Mike