Dear Pros,

I am posting this on behalf of my design client. We put this lovely floor throughout her house, and now that she moved in, we've got this peculiar problem. Want your suggestions about what might be causing it, and how to go about fixing it.

The video is below. Ask us any questions you may have and we can add info per your requests. She has access to this profile.

Thank you for your time, and being a part of this excellent community of pros!

http://youtu.be/LFbQolC7AIY

Was the floor glued down , floated or nailed?

It was nailed

Is not squeaking its popping and cracking. Could be a few different things. Could be expanding due to moisture and rubbing the base/shoe. could be lack of or incorrect fastener. Could be a poorly milled floor. Hard to say without knowing every detail.
1.type of floor construction
2.type of subfloor
2. fastener size and spacing
3.moisture content of floor and subfloor and r/h at time of install.
4.moisture content of floor and subfloor and r/h currently.
5. Was the hvac up and running prior to install, period of acclimation.

Is that popping? Pull the base on the back wall, yank a few planks that are popping.

what species, widthand subfloor are important here.

Ok. Guys, Im gonna find out answers to your great questions.

Thanks for helping, this is the client. It was a prefinished hardwood floor, brand is Chelsea Hardwood and the wood is hickory. The HVAC was in prior to install and the wood was acclimated for at least two week. The biggest concern we have is the subfloor - it was a plywood and our home sat without a roof for most of the summer ... During a period of intense rains (a lot of rain that summer) and there were huge puddles in our home for months. We brought this up to our builder repeatedly but he said the subfloor was made to withstand those conditions. We have squeaks all throughout our home in both carpet and hardwood areas but nothing as bad as this sunroom.

One more point... It is definitely more of a cracking and popping sound (it sounds like ice cracking) and it appears to have a gap at the edge. The baseboard is also pulling away from the wall. We moved in to the home April 2014 and it wasn't like this wheb we moved in. Posting pics of edges and gaps.

http://imgur.com/lYuJW1D
Picture of floor base amd shoe in the corner. Was not like this when moved in.

Designer here: The floor is 2x10's 16 inch on center. Plywood subfloor.

Moisture content upon install was within spec. Yhe installer and the builder confirmed this before installing and reported to us.

Another picture http://imgur.com/LeIiY7r

Let me guess. Are you over a crawl space? Solid wide plank hickory is about as finicky as it gets when moisture control is left up to mother nature. Your floor is buckling and you better get some one in the crawl space to check out why the humidity is elevated. If its a cross vented space then you may be looking at encapsulation so you can control what goes on under your house. People Ive been telling you for years dont put solid wide plank hickory down over an unconditioned crawl space. Sounds like it has already pulled some nails loose, those areas will have to be removed and refastened.

Has anyone bothered to go underneath and do a visual?

What would we look for underneath?

Separation of the subfloor from the joists, mold, water, dampness, rusted fasteners protruding from the subfloor, take a rh reading perhaps. Get someone with a moisture meter to take a reading of the wood down there.