Award Maple, installed new, in new house, glued down by a contractor who--I think-- didn't know what he was doing. This problem showed up shortly after we moved in, several years ago, and hasn't improved: gaps, probably 1/32", developing between each 3-strip "plank", and the edges next to these gaps puckering up, very noticably, raised a little over 1/16".

The contractor first claimed that the humidity was too high (this in Ashland, OR, which is rather dry), then he claimed that it was the manufacturor's fault, and that we should take our problem to Award. We think that even if the product was defective (which we don't), it would be the contractor's responsibility to make the floor right, and then go after the manufacturor himself.

We are taking this to small claims court, and are looking for ways (other than pictures) to establish that installation was improper. For instance: glue. We can get glue squeeze-out samples by pulling up floor registers; is there some fairly simple way of telling if this was the wrong glue? We're assuming that if moisture content was too high, either in flooring or sub-floor (or both) that there's no way to establish that now.

Before going to court, consult or hire an independent wood flooring inspector.

Maple will move around with moisture content changes, but it being an engineered should have lessened that natural occurance, with that species.

Your going to need a moisture meter, to get to the nitty gritty facts about your wood floor.

The contractor accepted the conditions in which the floor was installed in, and on. It is his job as the professional, to document the entire installation, or be left holding the bag, when and if it fails.

We had several flooring contractors look at it, and all said it was improperly installed. BUT, I just spent the past 45 minutes talking with a guy from Award Hardwood, who said he thought the problem was almost certainly low humidity. As I talked with him, and got down on the floor and looked even more closely than before, it does appear that each 7" plank is cupped. He said low hunidity--especially more and more with very tight, energy-efficient houses--was a huge problem for flooring manufacturors. He said Award had gone to specifying 6% content from their wood venders, and were trying to ship product at that level.

Unless I start hearing otherwise, I guess we will get a humidifier, and try that for several months. I don't know how accurate it is, but a little hygrometer I've got is reading 31%. (AC is on.) He recommended shooting for 60% or so for several months, to see if the planks will level out, then shoot for 45-50% average.

How long did the flooring sit in your home, to come to a moisture content, equal to your living temperatur and humidity. What was the moisture content of the wood the day it was installed? Compared to what it is now.

Obviously, the bottom of the 3 board planks, is higher in moisture content, then the top is. Adding humidity to the top, will help in your situation, But had the flooring been acclimated to the temp and the low humidity, you have in your home, you would not be seeing this problem now.


Acclimation to the living conditions, prior to installation is the key, to a lasting sucessful installation.

Although, if a wood dies out more then 6%, cracking and checking can become a concern.

Have no idea what moisture content of subfloor/flooring were, when installed. Award guy speculated that if subfloor moisture content was way high at the outset, planks could have swelled, then later contracted, causing gaps. But cupping, he maintains, is due to low humidity, which makes sense. Especially if (I hadn't thought of this before) there is no vapor barrier under floor (there couldn't be, since floor was glued down) or subfloor. (There's FG insulation under there, but I've never checked to see if there vb.) Feel very sure that humidity under house is much higher than in house. Ought to take the hygrometer under there, to see how much difference there is.

wood cupps when an moisture imbalance is present. The floor is dryier on top than on bottom. You want to be around 50 %@ 70 deg. A humidifier sounds like a good idea just be sure to buy one that is made for the size area you need it to affect, most of the newer ones can be set to specfic rh.

I don't know yet that my hygrometer is accurate, but it showed 31% inside the house (both up- and downstairs), and 44% under the house. And as far as I can tell, there is no vapor barrier: the FG batts between joists do not have vb layer.

We don't run the AC more than we have to, and keep an eye on outside temps at night, so we can turn off AC and open windows when possible, which is 80-90% of the time. I'm going to get a new hygrometer, but at this point it doesn't seem (relatively) that there's a big difference between humidity at top and bottom of floor.

This floor has been consistantly cupped/gapped now for about 5 years. It's hard to figure/know just WHAT is causing this problem. I wonder if it's true that homeowners NEED to have a humidifier, w/ engineered floors? I wonder if ALL engineered floors require this? If so, then we need to think twice about having such floors: humidifiers are a big pain in the neck! Either you have a central, which are acknowledged to be mold-prone, or a portable unit which you have to constantly replenish, like 10+ gallons a day.

After 5 years, I'd almost come to the conclusion, it is compression set, yet still gaps when the rH drops.

What is "compression set"?

This is my girlfriend's house, and I haven't lived with it as long as she has, but she's documented the whole thing, as she bought the house new. She moved it in mid-summer, 2000, and started noticing gaps/ridges that winter. The contractor told her to get a humidifier, which she did. She says she kept it filled/going for nearly a year, and so no difference in floor. Contractor then began to claim that flooring was defective and that THEY were responsible.

Was the humidifier large enough for the 2,300sf house? Probably not, but this goes back to my conjecture that maybe engineered floors are too demanding.

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Or a rapid gain in moisture content on the bottom of the board, from a too wet of substrate, concrete or wood. Cupping is because the bottom of the board is wetter then the top of the board.

This can be from fast paced New Constuction techniques, but can be blamed on the installer, by going ahead and installing the flooring. He accepted the conditions, he is the professional. and it he is liable if the flooring is damaged, by installing it out of specifications, according to the manufacturer, NWFA, and NOFMA.

the floor was not acclamated to "live in conditions" which is about par for new constuction. There is no inherant "need" for a humidifier in a house for an engeneered floor to preform properly. It does however become neccesary when the proper measurements were not taken prior to the installation. Its my opinion that particular floor will continue to move for ever, just like any other wood floor will do when subjected to those conditions. My solid wood floor opens up during the winer months and we get cracks. During the summer we get a little cuppping but it goes away after the rain slows down.

We keep talking apples and oranges here, in a way. And it's rather disheartening/confusing that I'm hearing somewhat different answers from each new "professional".

"My solid hardwood" floor presumably mean 2 1/4" wide boards, which are not going to behave like 7" wide engineered boards. Cupping across a 2.25" surface is going to be, maybe, 2/3rds less noticable than the same cupping across a 7" surface, even taking into account the plywood-like character of the engineered floor.

I'm finding that the humidity in crawl space is only a few points different from living space, which negates the manufacturor's claim of a disequilibrium.

Who knows what conditions existed when the contractor got and installed the floor? I can look around, in general, though, and see that he cut corners where he could. On the other hand, he's just a working stiff like the rest of us, trying to make a living.

It's really hard for us out here in the regular world to make sense of all this. I have to wonder: how many engineered wood floors out there look as bad as ours, but the homeowners just don't even notice or care? Or is mine a fairly unique circumstance? If what KevinD says is true, why did the Award guy claim that you NEED a humidifier?

Just a mess.............

well you know what happens when you start assuming? yep. well I was trying to give you some advice on your situation but sounds like to me after spending a few days on the internet you might want to sign up for the nwfa certified inspector course with what you assume you know it should be a breeze.

yeah your right, I dont know what the heck I am talking about. I just cruise message boards trying to confuse people and give out bad advice.