Hardwood Floor Installation Disaster

We got a call from a reputable contractor to fix a newly installed white oak floor in Berkeley, CA. When I showed up to look at the floor, it was already cupping and separating from the sub floor. There were multiple humps a couple of inches high, and this oak floor needed to be replaced. The hardwood floor was in place for less than a month, and was part of a kitchen remodel.

I checked the moisture content in the floor and the sub floor, visually inspected the crawl space and tested the floor for proper nailing schedule. All of my tests came at a big fail for each category. The moisture level was too high in both the floor and the sub floor, the heat was off in the house, the fasteners were the wrong gauge and the floor was the wrong type. Evidently, the owner and the contractor knew of the moisture issues and flooded crawl space, and didn’t think it would have any effect on the new floor, since there are wood floors throughout the home already.

Everyone wants to save money, and it is just fine and perfectly understood. Saving money on installation of new wood floors isn’t smart. Wood moves at all times. Every time the relative humidity changes – wood moves. It is only in the hands of a true floor professional to decide which floor is best suited for your home.

We took over the project and did it the right way this time. I changed the floor product from thin solid oak to thick engineered oak. I applied a vapor barrier on the sub floor prior to installation and acclimated the floor for weeks before installation. I had the contractor seal the crawl space below and fix the sump pump that was there. I then installed the floor using the right nailers and fasteners.

The floor was left to acclimate in place before we came back to sand and finish it.

The project was done on time and the floor stayed flat. Most importantly the client was happy and the remodel could be completed.

At the end of the day, this floor was four times higher than it should have been, had it been done right the first time. So, if you want to save money on your wood floors – pick a reputable contractor to begin with. It will save you time, money and heartache in the long run.