# hardwood floor lifting



## SeattleDIY (Oct 2, 2008)

Installed a prefinished hardwood floor in my home. in one section it has buckled. 







Any idea what caused it??I left a 1/4" gap all around for expansion.


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## Square Eye (Oct 2, 2008)

I can't tell exactly what kind of floor that is from the pic. Is it a laminate, a solid wood or a Formica veneer? Either way, 9 times out of 10, there is a moisture problem to blame.


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## SeattleDIY (Oct 2, 2008)

pre finished red oak hardwood. moisture?? liquid?? Vapor??it was installed over roffing paper


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## inspectorD (Oct 2, 2008)

Water will still move through building paper. Sounds like you have a moisture issue in the area as Square Eye said..
Dryer vent?hole in ductwork, water pinhole pipe leak, anything where water can settle in that area from a leaking window or door?
There are all kinds of things to look for, but what it usually boils down to  is always moisture if wood buckles.

Look around and post some more pictures, we''ll help the best we can.


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## SeattleDIY (Oct 2, 2008)

Thanks for the reply. This is just a small part of it. it extends about 5 ft along the line.


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## Square Eye (Oct 3, 2008)

I have seen something similar before. The edge of a laminate floor curled up along the edge of a joint in the plywood subfloor. I've also seen a floor wave like crazy over concrete, then lay down when the humidity was finally drawn out of the building. Seattle has a a fairly wet climate.. right? Anyway, You might check with some local flooring installers in your area and see if it's common in your area and what they're doing about it. If the floor is installed over a crawl space, you may be able to eliminate your problems by laying a vapor barrier on the ground under your home. You may already have a vapor barrier, sheet plastic is a good barrier but if it's already there, you may need to check for cuts or tears in the area where the problem is.


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## inspectorD (Oct 3, 2008)

Did someone spill something or clean something and not pick  it up?
Or are you watering plants.
Look for sources of moisture and you will find the cause.


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## SeattleDIY (Oct 3, 2008)

Aw crap. i found out what is wrong. I had hired a guy in the initial phase of the install. He did some and then flaked out and stop showing up. he did about 1/3 of it.So I finished the rest. Apparently he put a spine to reverse the toughe direction and for whatever reason did not nail it down .So that area is free floating and gives due to it no being nailed down. 

So what are my options. I was thinking of going to the crawlspace and trying to put screws to pull it down. Think it will work?? Or screw it from the top and try to refinish the area??But that would leave button size holes where the filler plugs are. 

Or pull it up and redo.


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## Square Eye (Oct 4, 2008)

Trim head screws require a much smaller countersink diameter but their pulling and holding power is less than standard screws. Trying to pull it down with screws from the bottom may actually make the problem worse if the screws fail to penetrate the flooring. Then there's the added risk of the screws coming up through the finished floor or pulling the board down below the level of the other boards, depending on the material used for underlayment. A free floating floor should be just that, free floating. Fasten it down anywhere and you run the risk of even more potential problems.

My opinion? Screw it down from the top, see what happens. If it doesn't fix the problem or makes it worse, pull up and redo


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## inspectorD (Oct 4, 2008)

Know someone with a pin nailer? Get some oversized long nails and bend them over in the crawlspace. Less noticable with a wax crayon filler stick. BUT it can still squeak. Like square eye said, finish screws, OR there are ones that break off at the top of the screw for just this reason. Check your local building supply store.
Screwing from the crawlspace is an option, just be very careful. 
Or remove and relay. 

On the upside, we are glad to hear it's not water issues. That gets more expensive.


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## mikemeier (Oct 7, 2008)

check to see if there is an expansion gap under the baseboards as well. That extra room is meant to prevent/reduce buckling.


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## SeattleDIY (Oct 8, 2008)

No baseboards installed yet. There is space for expansion. I drilled and counter sunk hole for screws and it pulled it back down. Now to fill the holes and try to match the old finish.


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