How to get rid of moisture in hardwood flooring?

Question

We have recently come to a halt with our building due to our hardwood floorboards cupping and swelling in several places.(Boards were acclimatized for several months before installation) They were laid by a so called professional installer, who sealed the concrete first then laid the boards, sanded and applied only one coat of lacquer.

Within a month we noticed boards cupping and swelling!! The installer has no idea of the cause and wanted more money to fix the boards, but not fix the cause of the problem. Since then we have given him the boot!! (unfortunately paid him majority of the money!! and heard nothing from him since!!)

My husband (handyman) replaced the popped up boards and sanded the entire area lightly at first waited another few months then sanded the entire area again. Now are faced with the moisture coming up through the joins as pictured.

Is there any solution? Our next step is an expensive inspector, but unfortunately money is an issue right now. If there's anybody out there that has had this problem or knows how to solve or point us in the right direction would be so helpful.

Beginning of problem.

Another pic, repair stage boards replaced and lightly sanded. Within a week of sanding Moisture coming up.

Answer 1

Your problem is obvious. Moisture is migrating up from the slab. I don't imagine anyone suggested to do a moisture check on the concrete before you started? There are meters that can measure the % of moisture in concrete. With that said, it is never a good idea to put wood or laminate directly on concrete slabs or uncured concrete upper floors. In your case, you said the concrete was sealed. How was it sealed and with what? One of the only products that seals and creates a vapor barrier is DryLoc. Even using DryLoc, some sort of underlayment should be used. The old way was to lay pearlings across the slab, put on a plywood subfloor and then your finish floor. Today there are several subfloor products that resemble 2'X 2" or 2" X 4" panels with a waffled plastic base and a resin embedded or synthetic subfloor attached. These panels interlock covering the concrete and create a vapor barrier. The materials in these products resist mold and mildew and allow any water to escape if you have floor drains etc.

Unfortunately, once hardwood has cupped badly or water stained from the bottom up, it is usually junk and cannot be reused. Sometimes if the cupping is minor, exposing it to a very dry environment for some time will allow it to flatten out, but I sure would not count on it. In your case, I fear you have no alternative but to rip it all out and start from scratch. This time, address the moisture or possible water leak in the concrete first. Use a proper subfloor, or select a different kind of flooring that is not susceptible to damage from moisture. There are several vinyl plank type floors that look like wood or tile that are good choices in a damper area.

Answer 2

It is possible most of your flooring can be salvaged. I see a small area where it might not be able to but this depends of the install. If the tongue/groove are glued you have almost no chance of pulling the board apart for reuse but if they are just "locked" then you are better off.

The key is that I would under no circumstance lay anything on that floor in the future. You need to have the concrete sealed. Then you need to have a foam/rubber barrier then plywood. The floor will be raised an inch at least - it is a bigger project getting the subfloor in place than the flooring.

That leaves me to a suggestion. You cannot always get exactly what you want in every situation. I would not suggest hardwood or carpet in this area. I would simply seal the concrete with something like dryloc and then install an all vinyl/rubber engineered flooring. Home Depot carries a really good brand of thick vinyl planking that I have installed many times. builddirect.com also has a variety of this flooring - very reputable site.

Answer 3

This thread is dead, but I know the problem. Condensation. Simple.... Colder concrete than air temp, water condenses on the sealed slab. The dehumidifier would work, if you want to slather on chapstick and lotion all summer. Tile is better on concrete. Period. Vinyl and floating laminate wood floors are for either poor or uneducated people. The very best solution is tile, with ditramat or another form of crack isolation, then use tiles that look like hardwoods...they are expensive, so is the mistake that was made here. Very expensive.

I am a licensed NC contractor, specializing in being on site, swinging a hammer myself, and building one or two totally custom homes a year.

Answer 4

Before you rip out the whole floor you might want to consider renting a dehumidifier first. I had a similar issue last year with my floor and my carpenter had me run a dehumidifier for a few days and the results were successful, so I invested in a good dehumidifier which ran me 400.00. But well worth it in the long run. Good luck!!

Answer 5

Do you have a space around the perimiter of the room? There should be about a quarter inch gap between the wall and were the wood floor ends. That gap is meant to handle the shifting of wood, weather it be due to water, humidity, and/or the house shifting through the years.
  I'm  not saying that would have totaly prevented your situation. I'm just stateing that there is a purpose for that gap, and without it you are Guaranteed to run into these problems sooner than later...carrieing on through out its life unless fixed.