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threeapples

Unsanded hardwood--is this the way it normally is?

threeapples
11 years ago

these are 5" planks of rift and quarter-sawn red oak. They will be sanded and stained soon, but I wanted to post here to see if this bowing within some of the planks is normal. I'm new to hardwood flooring. thanks.

Comments (53)

  • athensmomof3
    11 years ago

    I personally wouldn't trust sanding to fix cupping but I don't know much about it. It sounds like they were installed way too early. The house should be closed in and heated/cooled for a while before the wood is laid down, and ideally should be heated for a while, the wood brought in and let to sit for a while and then laid.

    It sounds like the floors were installed before the HVAC was running? I have never heard of that - or maybe I misunderstood. . . If that is the case, that explains the cupping. Not sure if it will "right" itself now that it is laid but I certainly wouldn't have it finished as is.

  • nini804
    11 years ago

    Yes, they are cupping. We have 5" white oak that was installed during the summer. There was an area that was cupping. We have a sealed and conditioned crawl space, along with a whole house humidifier. The builder upper the AC and lowered the humidity setting and they calmed down. We are located in a very humid area (during the summer) so I think this happens a lot. If they turn the heat on they should dry out. Just make sure they are good and flat before they are sanded and stained. I imagine you aren't close to that stage yet, so just keep an eye on them.

  • threeapples
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    actually they want to sand and stain them early next week so the painter can come in (he doesn't want to paint the walls and have them all dusted with sawdust).

    i'm really concerned about this. i have a feeling the company will suggest sanding them and i fear that is not really a "solution." the builder said he's seen worse floors flatten out, but that this isn't ideal. i think they should replace them, but i can't imagine suggesting that will go over well.

    athens, no, we had no gas heat when they were installed. my husband said they told him the humidity in the floor boards was 13% when they laid it.

    this house cannot get done soon enough.

  • nini804
    11 years ago

    Well, I am not an expert, but I know our builder held up the sanding until the floor boards were flat. I can't remember exactly what he said, but something to the effect that if you sand them when they are cupped, when they de-humidify you will end up with uneven boards. As much turmoil as you have gone through, surely he can hold off on the sanding for just a bit...gas heat should dry them out nicely. Keep checking the humidity level in the wood. It'll be fine, don't worry!

  • threeapples
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    haha, yes, the turmoil has been a little excessive i'd say! building this house is taking years off my life! :)

    agreed, i won't let them sand until they flatten. but, how long do we give them to flatten on their own? we can't wait months. the painter and trim work depend on the floors being done.

    if the humidity level in the wood is desirable they shouldn't be cupped, right? so their shape is indicative of too much humidity at the moment? sorry for the silly questions, just trying to learn about this so i know how to handle the meeting with the flooring guys.

  • worthy
    11 years ago

    If you sand cupped hardwood before it stabilizes, when it does stabilize the edges will be permanently lower than the middle.

    Whether the hardwood is pre-finished or finished in situ I always paint first. It's easier to touch up a wall that's damaged or marked by the flooring guys than it is to repair hardwood damaged by the painters. Sawdust on the painted walls? Has the builder ever heard of dusters or vacuum cleaners?

    Jeeze Marie!

  • threeapples
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    worthy, i have no idea how they decide what order to do these things, but the painter said he never wants to paint before the flooring guys go in.

    you're right, the edges will be lower. my husband just found a whole bunch of info. on this online.

    how long should we let the floors try to stabilize on their own before deciding they come out and we do this all over again?

  • petepie1
    11 years ago

    A couple areas of our floors show mild cupping in the winter (when the room has high heat/low humidity, and the subfloor over the basement is more humid), but then they flatten out when the heating season is over. So, it may take as long as 6 months if the imbalance in humidity levels between the subfloor and room environment is seasonally based. It is pretty dramatic how they change back, so I definitely would not sand - otherwise you'll end up with convex floors and it will be permanent. Hopefully your floors will settle once your house is really closed in and HVAC is up and running for a few weeks.

  • threeapples
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Well we obviously can't wait 6 months until the Spring. I'm not sure what to do.

  • athensmomof3
    11 years ago

    I would rather clean the walls after painting than before. Is the painter planning on cleaning the walls and woodwork or just painting over the sawdust (I suspect the latter). Our builder who routinely builds houses like yours or mine ( and many much nicer than mine!) has one coat of painting done and the the second coat on everything goes on right before you move in. He said the painters are always the last one in as things do get damaged.

    We had to refinish one floor after we moved in. They did it while they were at the beach. They did get some of the shoe mold with the sander so it had to be replaced. Have the painters come and paint one coat. Then they can do things like cabinets.

  • threeapples
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I have no idea, but my husband and the builder are pushing to have the house painted very soon, starting with the trim. Why would you rather clean the walls after they are painted, Athensmom?
    Our cabinetry is arriving painted so there is nothing for the painter to do now except the front door.

  • ohbldr
    11 years ago

    Just pretty unbelievable. This is a good example of how some problems become almost intractable when the work that precedes is not performed correctly (initial installation of hardwood under controlled environmental conditions). Practically speaking, it is going to be hard to wait long enough for this floor to return to the condition where it can be finished. There is no question what I would require and insist upon: tear out the floor that was incorrectly installed and do it the right way now that the house is properly conditioned and has all the door and window openings closed.

    Concerning painting: You always paint first and finish hardwood floors after.

  • threeapples
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Yes, it is really disappointing. There is no way they might flatten quickly?

  • threeapples
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The flooring guys said to crank the heat to 72 and take a look next week. This doesn't sound promising to me.

  • athensmomof3
    11 years ago

    Because they will paint over the sawdust on the trim and walls. I have seen it too many times to be convinced they will do it differently. I think the way my builder does it makes the most sense - paint one coat on everything, spackle as needed and one coat before moving in.

    Interestingly, my husband is having an office building renovated right now and they have painted one coat and now it is covered with spackle and will be painted again once construction nears completion.

    I too have always heard paint first and hardwoods after. This is why it is so important to be sure trim is wiped down before you paint as you will get sawdust under the paint.

    As far as the cabinets go, I meant paint the walls so the cabinets can be installed. Our cabinets have one coat behind them, the cabinets were installed, and then they edged around the cabinets and painted again.

    Is it the whole floor or just a small area? At least the floor guys recognize it is not right. I think if it is just the wood it may stabilize pretty fast, but if the moisture imbalance is in the subfloor then that is a bigger issue (at least from what I remember).

  • threeapples
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    It's the whole floor.

  • brickeyee
    11 years ago

    It is far easier to clean dust off painted walls than unpainted walls.

    Tell the painters to get the darn walls done.

    Finishing floors is last.

    As for wood movement, all wood moves with moisture contest and humidity, you cannot stop it, and it is going to open and close small gaps across the entire floor every heating season, then swell up and close during cooling season.

    The width, thickness, and shape changes are inherent to wood.
    See Figure 3-3 in the wood handbook linked below (page 8).
    Wider planks move more.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Wood Handbook, Chpater 3

  • iPaint1
    11 years ago

    It looks to me in this picture your painters have the walls at least primed. That might be the one coat everyone else is talking about on here and then they are going to come back and spray the trim and do a finish coat on the walls. After owning a painting business for 35 years, now being run by my 2 sons, and doing mostly new homes, I can tell you that is the way we did it. They primed the walls. The trim goes up. And if it is unfinished floors, the floor goes in before trim. The painter will spray the trim, they can come finish the floor and then the paint crew can come in and do the walls. Talking about dusting off the walls after a finish coat is absurd. My guess is those people have never worked in new construction every day of their lives. The dust is too much to just "clean off" after a finish coat. What are you going to do, vacuum freshly painted walls off? If it were a pre finished floor, as it usually is, the painter would use the same method and just put drop cloths down on the flooring to paint the walls. Pole sand the primer coat which will knock off a lot of that floor dust, you can vac the rest and then put finish coats on. I doubt these guys are painting for large national builders, in which case I would expect them to paint over sawdust, if they're doing high end homes, and if they have been for a while, they wouldn't be doing them if they were painting over sawdust. They would have had many angry customers before now. I think I said it in another post, let them use the method they prefer. If they're good, they know what's best. They're most likely professionals, unlike many of the people on this forum.

  • ohbldr
    11 years ago

    iPaint1 describes the process right. I should have been clearer in my first post: With unfinished hardwood floors you want the woodwork enameled (painted) first and then the floors are finished. The walls get primed after the drywall is finished but before the woodwork and cabinetry is installed. Walls get final coated just before electrical devices and plumbing fixtures are installed.

  • threeapples
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    thanks iPaint1, my painter seems very reasonable. I'm going to trust him and let him do things the way he prefers. I don't think my builder would use him if he did a sloppy job.

  • worthy
    11 years ago

    Why would you rather clean the walls after they are painted, Athensmom?

    She has already accurately answered.

    I'm no expert. Only a licenced builder (from time to time) with a dozen custom homes and many more renos to my name. And what I do works well for me.

    I have the drywall primed as soon as it's ready. Sometimes sprayed, sometimes rolled. One man can do a 4000 sf house in a couple of days.

    Hardwood goes in after virtually everything else is complete. (Tile and stone is tougher and can go in earlier.)

    The one new house where I violated this rule, after occupancy I had to pay big money by order of the Warranty mediator to remove all the splatters the painters left on unglazed tile, no matter how minute.

    There's not a job I've seen where you can't find a painter working with his roller with no dropcloth. "Don't worry. I no droppa paint!"

    What I really never understand is why any of this comes up or is a concern of the homeowner unless they are acting as the g.c.

    If you hire a builder, his job is to deliver you a house that is properly built, free of damage--whether it's cupped floors or paint splatters.

    How he does it and in what order his trades work is his business. And certainly not subject to the consensus of unknown strangers. If anybody tried this micro-management with me, I'd walk away. Probably why I prefer spec building!

  • threeapples
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    here is a photo of the floors from another room:

    worthy, thanks for your $.02, but I think my concerns that things be righted are valid. too many things have gone wrong and not fixed to my satisfaction that i just want to blindly trust that if we don't monitor things they won't get worked out. i've just heard too many horror stories.

  • galore2112
    11 years ago

    On the positive side: If you want to achieve an old house look, this is it !

  • threeapples
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    jrldh: :)

    do you think this looks cupped and is of concern, or am i panicking over nothing (as usual).

  • ohbldr
    11 years ago

    "do you think this looks cupped and is of concern, or am i panicking over nothing (as usual)."

    NO. This is really bad. If I were the GC on this home I would tear out this wood and reinstall new material without you having to ask for a couple of reasons. I would do this because I would know this approach will cost me less than tearing it out a year from now when you call me about the gaps between most of the boards that are unacceptable. I would also do it because you didn't sign up with me and pay for THIS (cupped boards that will gap) quality of end product. You signed up and are paying me for THAT (the correctly installed) end product.

    Every GC makes mistakes that cost them money. I've made my fair share over the years. You learn from them and try not to repeat them. But you don't make your clients pay for them; either in $$ to correct them or in simply sticking them with a substandard job. We get paid by clients like you to prevent this type of poor workmanship.

    We GCs move on to other projects after 6-12 months but you have the home, exactly the way we built it for you, to live in for the next 30-40 years. Now is the time to get it built right.

  • brickeyee
    11 years ago

    All strip hardwood floors develop gaps that open and close through the heating and cooling seasons, and wider boards have wider gaps.

    Cupping actually has little to do with the gaps except it may indicate excess moisture.

    Hardwood floors should NEVER be installed in unconditioned space.

    They WILL absorb moisture and change shape and size.

  • chris11895
    11 years ago

    Threeapples, I would ask your GC what he's going to do if it still looks like this in six months and you're unhappy. It seems like everyone is telling you "Oh it will be fine" and your gut is telling you it won't be. I'm with your gut by the way. So find out what he's going to do if you wait it out and it isn't.
    You could also ask him if he's seen this before on his other jobs. If he says "yes" tell him you'd like to go see those house's floors in person to ease your mind.

  • _sophiewheeler
    11 years ago

    Why are you still working with this clown? Kick him to the curb and find someone else. You're having go behind him on everything so you might as well take over yourself. You're already doing most of the job of a GC.

  • millworkman
    11 years ago

    Afraid I agree with hollysprings, too many issues to continue with him in my mind. And with all the questions you have asked I am surprised you let him put it down without any heat and or air conditioning to condition the floor and also surprised if he is a seasoned GC that he would attempt to put flooring down under those conditions.

  • threeapples
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The flooring company that installed it has a good longstanding reputation and installs basketball courts for major universities in our area. I suggested it was not a good idea to have it installed when they did, but my husband and the builder said that since September and Ictober would be mild and that we had space heaters it was ok even though we didn't have doors. I've trusted my builder because I got very positive reviews from other homeowners and our architect. I will ask him on Monday what he will do if we are unhappy with the floors some time from now, but I'd much rather they be replaced because I'm
    scared maybe the subfloor is too moist. The flooring installers said it was 12% humidity, however, which I hear is fine. My husband says we could have moved in a week after installation, opened the windows (the equivalent of not having doors), and this could have happened from that. To me opened windows don't cause this, but clearly I'm a novice at building.

  • ppbenn
    11 years ago

    "Even though we didnt have doors?"
    What!? you didnt have exterior doors on?
    Please tell us this is not the case.

  • live_wire_oak
    11 years ago

    This whole build just keeps getting worse and worse. It's a train wreck, with no conductor at the controls.

    Yes, it would be a PIA to put a stop to things RIGHT NOW, and bring in another GC. But it is what needs to happen. You're pouring a lot of money into this build, and you're not even getting something builder grade quality. Even the tract builders that I've seen wouldn't have put wood floors in months before they were supposed to and then not even had windows or doors on the house. Or left a wood door out in the weather. Or let brick freeze. Or.........

    Cut this guy loose. He's costing you quality. Which costs you money. A LOT of money. You're paying A level and receiving D level. That's not acceptable. At all. Yet you won't gird up your loins to do a darn thing about it. You roll over and take it. WHY? Why won't you actually DO something here?

  • threeapples
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I am trying to do something I just don't feel comfortable posting every detail on a public forum. I do agree this is unacceptable and we are taking action.

  • petepie1
    11 years ago

    In my earlier post, I said that I have an area of floors that cup in the winter, and they they flatten in the summer. However, after seeing the picture you posted showing your floors from a broader perspective, the cupping I see in my floors is NOT as dramatic as yours. Since you are still building and these are new floors, they need to be removed and replaced with wood that has sat in the house (climate controlled) for several days to acclimate to the environment. FYI, our floors looked perfect when installed (in the summer, in the house with A/C running and acclimated wood - I think we just have large humidity fluctuations). So I don't know what yours will look like if they look like this now. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news........

  • whallyden
    11 years ago

    Yikes. Did they glue?

  • brickeyee
    11 years ago

    See figure 3-3.

    " The flooring installers said it was 12% humidity, however, which I hear is fine."

    Relative humidity or moisture content?

    Did anyone even check the moisture content of the sub-floor?

    Did they check the wood before paying it?

    "The flooring company that installed it has a good longstanding reputation and installs basketball courts for major universities in our area. "

    You most likely got the 'B' team (at best).

    Being the tiny job at a large company rarely results in the best outcomes.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Wood Handbook, Chapter 3

  • threeapples
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I found out that the worst room (in my second photo) had a self-leveling cement floor put down by the tile guy because he thought we were putting tile there. They out a 1/8" board on top of it and the builder thinks the moisture of the cement caused the cupping. This obviously does not explain the other rooms' cupping, though they are more minimal.

  • Beth Parsons
    11 years ago

    Oh wow... I don't know where one even finds a 1/8" board suitable for flooring. I laid hardwood over a cement slab in our last house and experienced absoluely zero issues with cupping but I used sleepers and 1/2" plywood for a base.

  • gbsim1
    11 years ago

    The wood shouldn't have been installed until it had acclimated to the house temperatures and moisture levels. And it goes without saying that your heat should have been on and the house totally enclosed for some time before the wood was brought in.
    Nothing excuses your GC and your flooring company from any blame in this situation.

  • threeapples
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    yes, they did glue. does that make it very hard to remove the wood floors?

    is it possible to remove the cement subfloor the tile guy put down in the butler's pantry? will it severely damage the house?

    or, is it possible to permanently dry that cement on that room's floor so the next batch of hardwood planks don't end up with issues?

    yes, i agree that the wood should not have been installed. the installers told me this today as well.

  • chris11895
    11 years ago

    I would go to your GC and the flooring people and ask them to meet with you together. List out all of the questions you have and tell them you need them to make this right and by "right" you mean a guarantee of no further issues with the floor and that it will look perfect. If it means tearing it out,
    so be it. Others may have better advice, but I think it's hard for anyone on here to really tell you what's ok without being there.
    In the meantime, I would call some reputable, local flooring companies. Have them come out and see what they say. People who do home installations all of the time. I'd try and get three companies to come out in one day and from that you'll probably see some consistencies and be better educated on what you're dealing with. Then tell the GC you want one of those companies to fix it at no cost to you. I had to do this with the cabinet company we used at my last Reno. The cabinets were fine, but the guy totally screwed up the install. He disagreed with me and gave me excuses galore and in the end, every person I brought through said I was right. Good Luck!

  • brickeyee
    11 years ago

    "The wood shouldn't have been installed until it had acclimated to the house temperatures and moisture levels."

    Pretty hard to do without a dried in shell and HVAC installed.

    "We had portable heaters, but no gas for weeks after they were installed."

    Portable fuel heaters (kerosene, propoance, any burning fuel) throw off HUGE amounts of moisture.

    Now you only solution is to wait (with central heat running high) to dry it out again or replace the wood.

    The problems is it can take months to dry it out again.

    You only have one side for moisture to escape, and not a very high temperature to drive it out.

    Running heat and portable dehumidifiers can speed things up, but it is still a slow process.

    You could also run central air and portable electric space heaters, but that is far more dangerous than central heat and dehumidifiers.

    Make sure any dehumidifiers have a drain hose and not just a collection tank.

    The flooring should not have been delivered until HVAC was available and operating (for a decent period to pull all the extra moisture from the walls, framing, and foundation), the flooring company should have warned you (or even refused to install the floor), and whomever set up this disaster) is ultimately responsible.

    If you sand the wood now it will be permanently ruined.

    At least in its present state it will dry out (eventually).

  • threeapples
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    i had no idea that portable heaters created moisture.

    i also didn't think about the fact that the drywall and framing could have still been moist until my painter brought it up to me recently.

    the flooring company did not say a word about not installing the floor at the time, they just did it. i do know they tested the moisture content in the sub-floor and in the wood itself and the readings were optimal. my husband continues to say this could have happened had we opened the windows over a weekend, but the flooring guys said there is no way open windows cause cupping in floors.

    how would we determine whether the subfloor needs to be replaced if we take the wood floors out? if their moisture level reads well can the subfloors stay?

  • brickeyee
    11 years ago

    If you remove the floor itself the sub floor should be checked for moisture content.

    It should dry out a little faster, and may have been protected by the floor above and any ceilings below.

    Make sure the testing is not just the surface, but the thickness of the wood.

    Deep pins or electronic RF meters are better for this.
    Short pins and surface contacts do not make the grade.

    Any decent wood moisture meter has a depth specification.

    Whomever participated in this should be fired.

    The GC should know better than to even consider installing wood floors in unsealed or uncontrolled (no HVAC operating) space, as should the flooring installer.

    All the water in the drywall mud has to go somewhere.
    Setting type mud is a little better than pre-mix, but still introduces plenty of moisture.
    Even latex paint adds a lot of moisture to the house.

    Framing lumber is not dried to anything like its final value inside a house.
    That is why shrinkage and cracks in walls can continue for over a year as the framing continues to dry out.

    My floor guy will not even think about laying strip hardwood until 2-3 weeks after the drywall is done, the first coat of primer applied.
    Even longer fr wider flooring, or any species he knows to be a PITA with warping.

    Many of the imported foreign woods are inadequately dried from the start.

    Neither he nor I make money on having to fix mistakes.


    The main products of burning is CO2 and H2O (water in vapor form).

    Kerosene heaters (AKA torpedo heaters) kick out a LOT of hot water vapor that gets into anything made of wood.

    Propane, natural gas, oil fired, etc. (anything with a flame) does about the same.

  • gbsim1
    11 years ago

    It's hard to tell from your two photos but you said that your 5" boards were rift and quartersawn. All I see is rift.... did you pay for quartersawn also?

    Your GC and flooring company need to get together and decide how they're both going to shoulder the blame for this... .they both should have known.

  • mcclelland
    11 years ago

    Good Point gbsim-

    Those are not quarter sawn oak boards...

  • threeapples
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    my husband just said it is a mix of rift and quartersawn and we have more rift than quartersawn. is quartersawn nicer/better?

  • chris11895
    11 years ago

    Yes, in my experience it is more expensive.

  • gbsim1
    11 years ago

    I don't see any quarter at all in the photos so I'd be curious to know what your percentage you paid for.
    Yes, quarter is more expensive. You get the flecking and rays that many people prize. Rift is okay... very neutral and then flat sawn has the very wavy lines that most find not as appealing. Maybe you're after the look of the rift. For me I'm a quartersawn lover, but then again I always go for the most expensive dress on the rack too. :)
    Quarter is also more dimensionally stable (slightly) than rift and much more stable than flat sawn.
    For the stablity reasons, you'll find that you can go a little wider with rift and quartered and use it over radiant floors and in certain situations where other flooring might have trouble.
    But the lack of quartersawn oak hasn't contributed to your cupping problems. However, I'd not be willing to pay for a quartersawn mix and have gotten practically none.
    But that's another can of worms. With 5" boards of any type even quarterawn, everyone should have been on their toes from the get-go to try and avoid this problem. I'm still not clear whether moisture content was ever checked in the wood at the time of delivery and in both the wood and the subfloor before installation to see if they had acclimated and reached equilibrium before being installed. I'm not sure what checking humidity has to do with moisture content.
    Bringing 5" wide boards into an unconditioned home and then immediately installing them is worse than amateur. Even I know better.

  • threeapples
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The floors were in our house uninstalled for a week and a half. The flooring people tested the moisture in the wood and the subfloor and found it to be ideal. Obviously it shouldn't have been laid at the time regardless. We are having them come out next week to determine how to rectify the situation. We also have some boards that "spring" when you step on them. What causes that?
    I'll find out the exact % today and see how many boards in the quarter sawn we have.

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