They just finished installing our new kitchen and I have discovered several boards in front of sink and dishwasher that are warped/curled. It isan't very visible but can feel underfoot. Hopefully there is someway to fix without replacing. Does anyone have a suggestion on fixing? Thanks

Strangely enough there is no water damage on cabinets, nor could we find any water marks looking up fron the basement.

I suppose you could sand it flat and refinish it, but unless you find the cause, chances are it will happen again. I suspect it is high humidity in the area of the sink and dishwasher.

Maybe those boards should have been finished on all sides...probably too late to do that now.

If your flooring was prefinished replacing it is not THAT big a deal. I agree with Richard, the cause needs to be corrected. Was the dishwasher pulled during the installation? If not, it would be wise to do it now and check for a leak.

The red oak floor was sanded, stained and coated after we purchased the house 9 months ago. We did get a new dishwasher and Culligan water service, we thought one of those could have been the problem, but thought we could see the water damage of the subflooring which we can see in the basement, but there are no water marks. Could the hardwood absorb the water and not show on the subflooring? Sounds like we will have to get the refinisher guy back out to sand and refinish. I was hoping that there might be a simpler answer!! Thanks

My point was, sanding and refinishing without determining the cause of the problem will only result in having to sand and refinish again and again. It is quite possible that humidity and not a leak is causing the problem. Or, a small leak or condensation might occur, and would not be enough to soak through the subfloor.

I know wood floors are all the rage in kitchens, but there is a reason why it was not done in the past, and this si one of them.

I would call your contractor who installed your new kitchen and let him help you find the source of the problem. If one of his installations create the problem he should be happy to take responsibility for the repairs of the water problem and the floor. Do it soon, as water problems usually keep getting worse and causing more damage. Yes, the wood can absorb the moisture and show damage long before you'd see watermarks on the subfloor.

Look for an inspection firm in your area that uses Infrared Thermal Imaging to help locate the source of the moiusture. Trying to locate the source of a moisture issue can drive you crazy!!!

This may sound simply but I would be willing to bet the cause of the problem is not a major leak. But rather water dripping or splashing from the sink on a daily basis. It really doesn't take much to make the wood start to move.

A heat source located close to the problem area, a toe kick register, could also be contributing to the movement in the wood. If the wood gets wet then dries quickly it will move.

quote:

Originally posted by Richard Hetzel:
My point was, sanding and refinishing without determining the cause of the problem will only result in having to sand and refinish again and again. It is quite possible that humidity and not a leak is causing the problem. Or, a small leak or condensation might occur, and would not be enough to soak through the subfloor.

I know wood floors are all the rage in kitchens, but there is a reason why it was not done in the past, and this si one of them.

Thank you, Richard because I am thinking about hardwood floors in my kitchen and family room. Now that I read yours and others input I dont think H/D will be my chose.

If you sand a "cupped" floor flat, it will most likely invert over time. The source of the moisture needs to be addressed. Has anyone put a moisture meter on the floor? subfloor?

Read Tony C's post, then Richard Hetzel's second posting. Then re-read, and "absorb" them. If the wood floors were installed up to the toe-kick of existing base cabinets, then you will chase this problem until the cows come home. Now, once again, re-read the above-referrenced postings.

the primary reason for cupped flooring is moisture. When the flooring was installed did the contractor allow the boards to breath and come up the same mositure content before installing? They should have been taken out of the box and allowed to swell or shrink based on the humidity level of the home for at least one week before installing. If they were really dry and installed in a high humidity condition the swelling of the boards would cause the floor to cup. Also what is the moisture level like below the kitchen, Is it a unfinished damp basement. Moisture comming up from underneath will cause the floor to cup as well. Before you take measures to sand or attempt to refinish, you must first fix the humidity level below the kitchen area. Let the boards dry. then if necessary sand and refinish.
Also is the floor really cupped or just poorly sanded? If not properly sanded you can get high and low spots as well.

I would look for a small leak at the culligan system or under dishwasher. put rice paper down around and under them and at base of cabinet,the rice paper will show water quickly.

I'm just a homeowner that had cupped hardwood floors. I also have hardwood floors in the kitchen. Once the source of the moisture was identified, we just let the boards dry; it took almost five months, but the floors are again flat. Finding someone who could find the source was the hardest part. The contractor and others would come out and guess, but it took a company with the moisture meters and equipment to actually find the source and correct the problem for me. I finally went to the yellow pages and started calling under flood and water damage. Good luck!

I would also call a QUALIFIED Home inspector, and track the source. If you continue to fix the warping, w/o finding the source, you'll be throwing good money after bad. If you have any questions feel free to email me at john@ripbugs.com or go to my website www.ripbugs.com
www.gotmoldcalljohn.com
Good luck!!

Can you tell us what was causing the moisture?
Thx

quote:

Originally posted by Hal:
I'm just a homeowner that had cupped hardwood floors. I also have hardwood floors in the kitchen. Once the source of the moisture was identified, we just let the boards dry; it took almost five months, but the floors are again flat. Finding someone who could find the source was the hardest part. The contractor and others would come out and guess, but it took a company with the moisture meters and equipment to actually find the source and correct the problem for me. I finally went to the yellow pages and started calling under flood and water damage. Good luck!