Cupping of wood floor, need input

LIHR · 08-27-2011, 01:23 PM

Any floor installer should always provide an informative sign off sheet explaining why a sub-floor/flooring moisture test is necessary, and the test always performed in the presence of the owner(s) along with other pertinent information such as current conditions, humidity etc..

The installer should also know and take into account what is below the soon to be installed flooring and educate the owner on the possibilities of such an installation for their particular situation.

It's called being a professional, and as such you are responsible to exercise due diligence.

Vlreddick · 08-30-2011, 08:01 AM

Vlreddick · 08-30-2011, 08:44 AM

Floor doc, I found the job site requirements you mentioned on the Internet and that should be very useful. You or anybody that has any advise about the following, it would be great. To save me from a thousand phone calls and a wild goose chase I would like to know in what order we should do things. Tomorrow a sales rep should come and depending on the run around we get from that person and the store, what is next. Should they provide a third party inspection if we want one or do we do that, and where do we find someone to do it? After that, do we tell the store what was found and what we want and if we aren't satisfied then will be need to take legal action? We have already decided that sanding and finishing our brand new floor is not an option. We deserve the 25 year warranty on the finish that was included in the price. We spent 12,000 on our home and we do things right. Had we been told what needed done before the floor was laid, it would have been done. I had to stop my husband from correcting the problem right now because the proof of what it was like under our house would not be there. There was no discussion of moisture content and no testing. The installer said as long as the wood laid in the house a few days it would be fine. I am almost 100% sure that he only used red paper under our floor and not something to keep moisture away from the floor. I'm sure this will be a long process and I would like to be somewhat sure of the steps we have to take and the order in which to take them. Should I tell them upfront that our goal is going to be getting someone to replace the floor even if we need to go the legal route? Thanks in advance.

rusty baker · 08-30-2011, 09:38 AM

Floor Doc, she is in West Virginia. Do you think Selva would know someone in that area?

Floor Doc · 08-30-2011, 10:11 AM

Sel would probably come out if needed, and as you know Rusty he is one of the best . If not he would know someone good . I don't think Jerry is certified .
Vlreddick , Time has nothing to do with acclamation . If the house is not acclimated the wood can set there forever and still not be ready to install. Actually the wood should not be delivered to the house until the site conditions are met .
MC , RH , and temp measurements have to be taken . I would demand a new floor also .
a mill rep is there to cover the back of the mill only ., you will need a independent Inspector .
You can PM me for a number if you need one . Lets not jump the gun and wait and see what the rep says .
Doc

rusty baker · 08-30-2011, 10:23 AM

She doesn't have enough posts to PM. I think she needs 20.

Floor Doc · 08-30-2011, 10:26 AM

Just call me on my cell V @ 609 760 5028

Doc

Vlreddick · 08-30-2011, 09:41 PM

Thank you Doc. If the offer is still good I will call tomorrow.

Floor Doc · 08-31-2011, 01:59 AM

Not a problem . Glad to help.

**Gary in WA** · 08-31-2011, 08:21 PM

Sorry about your problem, hope it is resolved honestly. You said rosin paper....... read 1st paragraph, and before and after if interested; http://books.google.com/books?id=vFM...page&q&f=false

Photo #2: http://www.buildingscience.com/docum...d-but-strange/

Gary

Vlreddick · 08-31-2011, 10:01 PM

Doc, I don't have to bother you. We are going to play their game for a couple of months. A guy from the store came along with another installer from another company. They took readings of the floor and went under the house. He advised us that if we corrected the crawl space, totally sealing off the earth and using a dehumidifier and a couple of other things that the pro said it is highly likely that it will return to normal. Since we would have to correct the crawlspace prior to getting the floor replaced, we told him we would do that and give the floor a couple of months to see what it did. If it doesn't return 100%, I told him whoever was at fault would be replacing the floor, and it isn't us. So, we will give it a chance and then pursue whoever they want to lay blame on. The flooring store said the installer doesn't work for them but our receipt has the wood, removal of carpet and installation on one bill and we paid all of the money to the store. I guess they paid the installers out of the money we paid. Since they billed us on one bill for installation, doesn't it appear that the store should accept responsibility as well as the installer? I will let you know what happens after being in the right conditions for a couple of months. Thank you everyone for all of your expertise and advise.

Floor Doc · 08-31-2011, 11:47 PM

Stores have Sub contractors do their work . That's still working for them . Go after the guy who has your money .

Vlreddick · 09-01-2011, 06:43 AM

Thanks. 

**Gary in WA** · 09-01-2011, 07:12 PM

Page #7; 4. Do not use common red rosin or building paper which is not asphalt saturated. They are not vapor retarders as their perm rating is far greater than 50. From: http://grafbro.com/pdf/NWFA_INSTALLATION_GUIDELINES.pdf

Next time you are in the store, look for a window sticker from NWFA, or similar…….

Let us know the outcome later.

Gary

Vlreddick · 11-11-2011, 10:30 PM

To all of the great people who gave us their advise about our hardwood floor, I have an update. It has been 2 months since we totally vapor proofed the crawlspace and also have a dehumidifier running under the house. The floor has corrected itself just slightly but is still unacceptable. We remodeled our kitchen and while fixing a doorway we had to take up a couple of rows of boards. Guess what they used between the subfloor and the new wood floor? I went to Home Depot and bought a roll of thick brown paper to cover the floor for the workers to walk on and when they pulled up those boards that is exactly what is between our flooring and subfloor. Rips easier than a paper grocery bag. Plain brown paper. We are going to start the process with the company we bought the flooring from in a couple of weeks. Wish me luck and just verify if you can what you think of brown paper as a barrier under our floor. Thanks.