The nature of the moisture in the air results in different types of hardwood damage. Cupping is a common problem found in hardwood floors. As the name implies, the surfaces of boards that suffer from cupping have a concave shape. They bow inward, resembling the bowl of a spoon — or the inside of a cup.
The sides of each board are higher than the middle sections. Solid wood floors and engineered boards can both suffer from cupping, although moisture has a different effect on each type of flooring. The most distinguishing feature of cupping that sets it apart from other kinds of damage is the location of the moisture damage. Floorboards resemble a sandwich in cross-section. Cupping is the result of an increased moisture content that saturates the bottom of the boards.
Set a small piece of paper onto an equally small drop of water and you see the same concave shape. Noticeable cupping that shows up over the span of a few days is likely because of underlying water damage. It may point to a serious problem, such as leakage. Those are straightforward, making it easier to pinpoint the problem. You know to look for appliance leaks, leaks in the building, site grading issues, or plumbing problems. Floorboards that cup because of too much water vapor in the air will warp more gradually.
Those culprits are more difficult to discover since there are no immediate changes. Excessive moisture also creates buckling in solid wood floors, engineered wood, and laminate. Regarding the nature of the damage, buckling is the opposite of cupping.
It bows the other way, forming grooves and peaks. The boards typically lift right off the floor. High RH can result in buckling, as can moisture located somewhere below the surface of the flooring, such as concrete slabs. Flooding is another culprit, but leaks from above create disfigurement as well. Bowing is when the middle of the wood plank bends upwards. They are caused by several different factors.
Generally, heat and moisture will cause your wood planks to cup. Since wood is porous, it absorbs moisture. It can even absorb moisture from the air. Heat also drives moisture into the wood more efficiently; therefore, very humid environments are most prone to create cupping.
Furthermore, the wider and longer a plank is, the more likely it is to cup. Therefore, experts will often recommend that you not install wide solid hardwood in your basement or other very humid areas. Your floors can cup if you are not careful when you wash them. The best time to fill is before you sand, because whatever is left of the old floor finish makes spreading the filler easier.
Unlike latex, epoxy filler is difficult to sand, so apply it after the first finish coat and keep the excess to a minimum. Your floor may not be a good candidate for refinishing.
One decisive factor is the composition of the floorboards themselves. If they are engineered, it's doubtful that the veneer will survive the sanding procedure necessary to straighten them. Similarly, you may wear down solid boards that have been previously sanded enough to make them crack at the edges. In both cases, replacement of the floor is probably the best option. Moreover, if the floor has sustained damage because of an inadequate vapor barrier, you may have no other option than to remove the flooring and spread a new one.
Chris Deziel has a bachelor's degree in physics and a master's degree in humanities.
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