How to Repair a Water Damaged Wood Floor
If you’re here because you’ve been affected by one of the hurricanes this year, press here to read this article.
Well, the first thing to do, is to dry out the floor surface and more importantly the subfloor, so that the boards don’t continue to warp. In fact if you have a plywood subfloor, it going to be very difficult drying the underside of all the hardwood floor boards affected, because of the waterproof nature of plywood.
It’s very important to dry the floor quickly, not just to stop the warping, but also to stop the mold that my get a grip on the wood. Mold spores can be left even after the floor dries, and may cause health problems for some sensitive individuals. Note how I say : “May cause” and “Some individuals”.
The easiest way to dry out the top of the floor is to buy or rent large fans and point them down to the floor. Keep the AC on if you have it, but open windows next to the floor area about 2 inches. The excess moisture has to go somewhere, even with air conditioning. Now more importantly, below the floor in the basement (you didn’t say it you have a crawl space or full basement), you also need to have large industrial fans pointed up to where the water has come through. If you happen to have a finished ceiling below the floor, you might also consider cutting a neat (and repairable) square in the drywall. This is so the fans can better dry the under side of the subfloor. It would help if a few holes were drilled up into the subfloor where the leak began, to make sure a puddle of water is not sitting between the floors.
You should also ventilate the basement a bit, unless the weather is really humid, and then use a dehumidifier in the basement on those really damp days.
You can expect the wood to continue to swell, and if it gets to a point where you simply cannot walk across it, you should then relieve the stress by removing about 2 boards all the way across the middle of the kitchen. It’s a good idea to do this anyway because this will allow more ventilation of the subfloor. I assume you will call your insurance agent, but you might also call in a wood floor contractor. He will have an electronic moisture meter. You can test some of the good wood in a dry part of the house to determine it’s EMC (equilibrium moisture content) and then measure the EMC where the flooding has occurred. Keep records of these figures with the dates. The hardwood AND the subfloor have to come back to the normal EMC before you allow anyone to resand the floor.
Some insurance companies will insist on removing all the damaged floor right away. This might be a good thing, if they cover the whole cost. They might be aware of possible mold problems, and are willing to set you straight right away. Or they may want to wait to see what damage remains permanent. Keep you receipts for fan rentals as this should be covered also. Up north we experience less problems with mold because of our long heating season, which really dries out the wood.
Plank and Strip Flooring
I will divide strip floor from plank floor in this discussion because they have different fastening and sub-floor requirements. Tongue and groove strip floor in 2 1/4″ or 3 1/4″ wide and 3/4″ in depth, is probably the most popular hardwood flooring available to North Americans today. The most common species used is red oak, in a flat swan select grade. It is moderately durable and it’s contrasting grain pattern gives a textured look to the floor, which helps disguise scratches and wear and tear. Lengths vary from 1 foot to 6 feet with an average size of 3 feet, allowing a randomized joint arrangement. Be careful if you choose a lower grade than select. I have found that common #1 and #2 grades these days include many internal cracks and loose knots that will cause these floors to self destruct in less than a decade. A better choice is a mill-run grade (that contains all the grades) from a really good hardwood mill. You can save some money and ferret the bad pieces out and install them in the back of a closet.
A strip floor requires at least a 3/4″ plywood sub floor for it’s 2″ nails to be fully engaged. Never use OSB, chipboard, or any type of particle board, as the nails will loosen and floors will squeak. Try to run the hardwood floor at right angles to the floor joists, this will give a decided firmness to your new floor. In older houses, a well nailed softwood plank sub-floor at least 3/4″ thick is also very good. But be sure to run the new strip floor opposite or diagonal to the run of the sub-floor. Nail at least every 8″ with mechanically driven Power Nails ®, they are simply the best. The first few and the last few rows need to be hand nailed with 2″ flooring , or finishing nails. Pre-drill or use a nail spinner (made by Vermont American) to avoid cracking the strips. Never use air driven 15-18 ga. staples or nails as these are wholly inadequate for these heavy duty floors.
Strip floors come in 3/8″ and 1/2″ thicknesses also. I do not recommend these as in a tongue and groove board they only can be sanded 2 or 3 times before they wear out. The exception to these thinner boards is the laminated plank or “engineered flooring” which have many unique features. It’s the only wooden floor that can be laid below grade, and can be glued directly to concrete. Don’t try to sand and refinish these floors, you will quickly sand through the thin top ply, I know I’ve done it. They can be recoated or chemicaly stripped and refiished. Square edged flooring is still used in some parts of North America, it has to be face nailed and all these nails set and filled before every resanding. It’s not my favorite job but it’s a very durable type of floor in any thickness.
Plank flooring is a different animal altogether. When 4″ or wider boards are installed you must have at least a 3/4″ plywood sub floor if you are crossing the joists at right angles, but 1″ thick if you run the plank parallel to them. Like strip floor it needs proper flooring nails ( no staples please) every 8″ and because the nails are farther apart in this type of floor, screws are needed also. Use 2″ screws counter bored into the ends of all the boards, two at least, and three if the planks are 8″ or wider. This will prevent warping and some of the gaping that occurs with these floors. The counter bored holes are filled with wood plugs of the same species or a contrasting one like walnut. Remember the wider the boards will react to large humidity changes by forming large gaps in time, so this may not be a good choice for a cottage floor that is closed for part of the year.
Knee Pads: Preventing Occupational Knee Injuries
When you are on your knees on a hardwood floor all day, eventually your knees are going to start hurting. Your knees are a set of joints that you use every day. You may not think about it but when you do simple activities like get out of bed in the morning or sit on a chair, you are using your knees. You use your knees all the time.
Because you are always using your knees in mundane daily tasks, it is very important to protect your knees when doing any type of flooring work because this is an environment where your joints are at risk. When you are doing floor work, you are resting your body weight on your knees and often the weight of a heavy power tool, too.
If you don’t take care of your knees on the job, later in life you may experience perpetual joint pain in your knees. With the growing awareness of personal health and well-being, the usage of knee pads has grown in popularity in the flooring community. Let’s face it, when you are installing or finishing a floor, you will be on your knees kneeling the entire time! Knee pads are the solution to preventing occupational knee injuries.
Knee injuries are serious for several reasons. Your organs, muscles, joints and bones in your body work together. For example, when you have sore knees, you often overcompensate your back so that you use your knees less. This means that you are transferring the weight that would have been on your knees onto your lower back. The result is a sore back and sore knees. This is a common injury. Sometimes the lower back is effected by how you lift your power tools, but often a floor contractor has back pain because of a knee injury. Sometimes the knees hurt less than the back but both areas of the body have experienced repetitive strain.
In order to prevent knee injuries on the job, you should always be wearing knee pads. Knee pads come in a variety of styles and are made from many different materials. They vary significantly in comfort and performance on the job. Some knee pads are very flexible and designed for light duty work. There are also a variety of foam ones that come in different thicknesses. You can also get rubber knee pads in a variety of different styles from molded rubber to natural rubber. You can even get leather knee pads, not as much cushioning but durable nonetheless. Another style is gel knee pads. Gel knee pads are a more comfortable option. They form to your knees as you change your position.
Some knee pads have a hard plastic or sometimes even metal on the knee cap. Though it is somewhat protective, these knee pads are uncomfortable and may slow you down on the job. Besides, a hard plastic knee pad may even mark a newly finished floor. Wouldn’t that be annoying! Then you have to go back and do touch-ups! Softer knee pads are much more comfortable to work in. You want cushioning, not a hard material against a hardwood floor! Hard plastic on a hard surface will impact your knee joints.
Fabric knee pads are also notorious for picking up very small particulates of sawdust and dirt. It is a problem when dirt sticks to your knee pads and you are moving the dirt across the floor as you move across the floor yourself. On a newly finished floor where the finish has not yet cured, any small piece of dirt will potentially scratch the floor. If you decide to go with a fabric style knee pad, it is necessary to make sure nothing is sticking to them before you go to kneel down.
There are many different types of knee pads. The function of all knee pads is the same. They are designed to prevent knee injury and protect your knees on the job. Not all knee pads deliver the support and protection you need when working on a wood floor. As you have seen, some styles of knee pads can potentially damage your floor work. Some styles may even injure your body if they are not fitted properly.
As protecting yourself is a means to prevent injury, now you may want to consider the style of knee pads that is suitable for you as a flooring contractor. You only have one set of knees. It is important to keep your knees in the best condition you can to have a pain-free life.
To learn more about the Doc’s favorite knee pads, please read my article on ProKnee knee pads.
Because you are always using your knees in mundane daily tasks, it is very important to protect your knees when doing any type of flooring work because this is an environment where your joints are at risk. When you are doing floor work, you are resting your body weight on your knees and often the weight of a heavy power tool, too.
If you don’t take care of your knees on the job, later in life you may experience perpetual joint pain in your knees. With the growing awareness of personal health and well-being, the usage of knee pads has grown in popularity in the flooring community. Let’s face it, when you are installing or finishing a floor, you will be on your knees kneeling the entire time! Knee pads are the solution to preventing occupational knee injuries.
Knee injuries are serious for several reasons. Your organs, muscles, joints and bones in your body work together. For example, when you have sore knees, you often overcompensate your back so that you use your knees less. This means that you are transferring the weight that would have been on your knees onto your lower back. The result is a sore back and sore knees. This is a common injury. Sometimes the lower back is effected by how you lift your power tools, but often a floor contractor has back pain because of a knee injury. Sometimes the knees hurt less than the back but both areas of the body have experienced repetitive strain.
In order to prevent knee injuries on the job, you should always be wearing knee pads. Knee pads come in a variety of styles and are made from many different materials. They vary significantly in comfort and performance on the job. Some knee pads are very flexible and designed for light duty work. There are also a variety of foam ones that come in different thicknesses. You can also get rubber knee pads in a variety of different styles from molded rubber to natural rubber. You can even get leather knee pads, not as much cushioning but durable nonetheless. Another style is gel knee pads. Gel knee pads are a more comfortable option. They form to your knees as you change your position.
Some knee pads have a hard plastic or sometimes even metal on the knee cap. Though it is somewhat protective, these knee pads are uncomfortable and may slow you down on the job. Besides, a hard plastic knee pad may even mark a newly finished floor. Wouldn’t that be annoying! Then you have to go back and do touch-ups! Softer knee pads are much more comfortable to work in. You want cushioning, not a hard material against a hardwood floor! Hard plastic on a hard surface will impact your knee joints.
Fabric knee pads are also notorious for picking up very small particulates of sawdust and dirt. It is a problem when dirt sticks to your knee pads and you are moving the dirt across the floor as you move across the floor yourself. On a newly finished floor where the finish has not yet cured, any small piece of dirt will potentially scratch the floor. If you decide to go with a fabric style knee pad, it is necessary to make sure nothing is sticking to them before you go to kneel down.
There are many different types of knee pads. The function of all knee pads is the same. They are designed to prevent knee injury and protect your knees on the job. Not all knee pads deliver the support and protection you need when working on a wood floor. As you have seen, some styles of knee pads can potentially damage your floor work. Some styles may even injure your body if they are not fitted properly.
As protecting yourself is a means to prevent injury, now you may want to consider the style of knee pads that is suitable for you as a flooring contractor. You only have one set of knees. It is important to keep your knees in the best condition you can to have a pain-free life.
To learn more about the Doc’s favorite knee pads, please read my article on ProKnee knee pads. Choosing a Sanding Machine for Wood Floors
Sanding down your wood floor will remove scratches, nicks and indents. When you sand your wood floor, you are restoring its beauty. A floor with scratches looks worn and less elegant than a floor without scratches. Sanding also increases the longevity of the wood floor. A floor with scratches will be prone to have dirt rest in the grooves of a scratch. This makes the scratch susceptible to growing when the dirt moves around.
The first step to selecting the right type of sanding machine is to determine the type of wood floor you have. If you have moved into a home that already had hardwood floors, you may not know what kind of floors you have. Not all wood floors can be sanded multiple times. If you use the wrong kind of floor sanding equipment on your floor, the results will be not the desired look you are going for! In fact some wood floors (that are only imitation wood floors) cannot even be sanded down once!
If you have a solid tongue and groove wood floor, it is safe to say that you can sand these floors many times. They have a thick wear layer that is designed to be sanded down as needed. A solid wood floor is a traditional wood floor in the sense that these are the oldest type of wood floor. If you are living in a home that is older, chances are that you have a solid wood floor. The common specifications for these floors is the floorboards come in various in lengths and widths but the thickness is fairly standard. Most often, solid wood flooring comes in boards that are ¾” thick.
Engineered wood floors are a more modern invention. This type of flooring only came around in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They are designed to look like a solid wood floor, but are not. An engineered floor should not be treated like a solid wood floor. This type of floor is made up of thin layers or plies of wood laminate that are glued together. Because the wear layer on an engineered floor is extremely thin, these floors are only designed to be sanded down once in their lifetime. With these floors it is best to wait until they really need a sanding. In fact, many people say it is a bad idea to sand an engineered floor because the wear layer is so thin that you may permanently damage the floor by sanding too much down.
Laminate flooring is not made from real wood. It is photographs of wood. Because it is fake, there is no wear layer at all. These floors cannot be sanded ever. They are not designed to be sanded. Like engineered wood flooring, laminate flooring is also a modern invention that was founded in 1977.
One of the ways of determining what kind of floor you have is by figuring out its approximate age. If it is an older floor that predates the 1970s, almost certainly it is a solid wood floor. If it is a more modern floor that was installed in the 1980s or after, you should look at it closely to see if there are repeating patterns on the floor of wood grain. If there are, it is most likely a laminate floor that you cannot sand down.
A factory finished wood floor or engineered wood floor, there is one characteristic that is always common, a microbevel. This very small bevel or indent is visible where two pieces of wood come together
Now that you have determined that your floor is a good candidate for a sanding job, it is time to consider the sanding machinery. There are many different types of machines on the market for sanding floors. They all sand floors but they are specific to different types of wood flooring.
The random orbital floor comes in two different styles: the smaller handheld and the larger random orbit sander. This smaller handheld floor sander is great for soft woods like cork and pine but not so great for hard woods because it lacks the power needed to do a good job. The larger random orbit sander is best for hardwood floors like oak. Commonly, many varieties of random orbital floor sanders will leave sanding marks on your wood floors. These marks will be noticeable when you go to stain your wood floors.
Drum sanders also commonly called belt sanders are another variety of sander. As the wood flooring industry has evolved, so have drum sanders. Nowadays, they have a sanding belt. Unfortunately, often there are still chatter marks left behind on a finely sanded hardwood floor. As soon as a drum sander makes a single pass on a hardwood floor, you can see its pathway. It can be quite frustrating when you are working hard to avoid machine marks but they keep popping up!
Once you have considered the sander for your floor, you must realize that it will not do the edges. Your sander will not reach the edges around the room. You will need a special sander called and edger to do the edges or the perimeter of the room. This is a much smaller tool that is handheld.
Learning about the type of floor you have is the first step to understanding how to sand your hard wood floor. Choosing a sanding machine is important to doing a good job.
If you are a do-it-yourselfer, please read my article, “How to sand wood floors without leaving machine marks“. This will help you out before getting started on your floor sanding project.
The first step to selecting the right type of sanding machine is to determine the type of wood floor you have. If you have moved into a home that already had hardwood floors, you may not know what kind of floors you have. Not all wood floors can be sanded multiple times. If you use the wrong kind of floor sanding equipment on your floor, the results will be not the desired look you are going for! In fact some wood floors (that are only imitation wood floors) cannot even be sanded down once!
If you have a solid tongue and groove wood floor, it is safe to say that you can sand these floors many times. They have a thick wear layer that is designed to be sanded down as needed. A solid wood floor is a traditional wood floor in the sense that these are the oldest type of wood floor. If you are living in a home that is older, chances are that you have a solid wood floor. The common specifications for these floors is the floorboards come in various in lengths and widths but the thickness is fairly standard. Most often, solid wood flooring comes in boards that are ¾” thick.
Engineered wood floors are a more modern invention. This type of flooring only came around in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They are designed to look like a solid wood floor, but are not. An engineered floor should not be treated like a solid wood floor. This type of floor is made up of thin layers or plies of wood laminate that are glued together. Because the wear layer on an engineered floor is extremely thin, these floors are only designed to be sanded down once in their lifetime. With these floors it is best to wait until they really need a sanding. In fact, many people say it is a bad idea to sand an engineered floor because the wear layer is so thin that you may permanently damage the floor by sanding too much down.
Laminate flooring is not made from real wood. It is photographs of wood. Because it is fake, there is no wear layer at all. These floors cannot be sanded ever. They are not designed to be sanded. Like engineered wood flooring, laminate flooring is also a modern invention that was founded in 1977.
One of the ways of determining what kind of floor you have is by figuring out its approximate age. If it is an older floor that predates the 1970s, almost certainly it is a solid wood floor. If it is a more modern floor that was installed in the 1980s or after, you should look at it closely to see if there are repeating patterns on the floor of wood grain. If there are, it is most likely a laminate floor that you cannot sand down.
A factory finished wood floor or engineered wood floor, there is one characteristic that is always common, a microbevel. This very small bevel or indent is visible where two pieces of wood come together
Now that you have determined that your floor is a good candidate for a sanding job, it is time to consider the sanding machinery. There are many different types of machines on the market for sanding floors. They all sand floors but they are specific to different types of wood flooring.
The random orbital floor comes in two different styles: the smaller handheld and the larger random orbit sander. This smaller handheld floor sander is great for soft woods like cork and pine but not so great for hard woods because it lacks the power needed to do a good job. The larger random orbit sander is best for hardwood floors like oak. Commonly, many varieties of random orbital floor sanders will leave sanding marks on your wood floors. These marks will be noticeable when you go to stain your wood floors.
Drum sanders also commonly called belt sanders are another variety of sander. As the wood flooring industry has evolved, so have drum sanders. Nowadays, they have a sanding belt. Unfortunately, often there are still chatter marks left behind on a finely sanded hardwood floor. As soon as a drum sander makes a single pass on a hardwood floor, you can see its pathway. It can be quite frustrating when you are working hard to avoid machine marks but they keep popping up!
Once you have considered the sander for your floor, you must realize that it will not do the edges. Your sander will not reach the edges around the room. You will need a special sander called and edger to do the edges or the perimeter of the room. This is a much smaller tool that is handheld.
Learning about the type of floor you have is the first step to understanding how to sand your hard wood floor. Choosing a sanding machine is important to doing a good job.
If you are a do-it-yourselfer, please read my article, “How to sand wood floors without leaving machine marks“. This will help you out before getting started on your floor sanding project. Prefinished Hardwood Floors: How to choose!
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked what brand of prefinished floor I recommend. Or how many samples I’ve gotten through the mail. These days there are so many choices out there it really is hard to tell the good floor from the mediocre and poor. For this discussion I will try to stay away from brand names (for once) and try to talk out these floors in a more generic manor. I will only talk about wood flooring, be they solid woods or laminated woods. I am not interested, nor do I install the laminate, or wood pictures encased in vinyl. They will have a short fast life, and soon folks will be on to the next fad. Wood floors are here to stay, if we learn to take care of them, and choose the ones that best suits our needs.
When most people say prefinished hardwood floor, they mean solid wood strip floor. These are generally in widths of 4″ or less. A prefinished plank floor over 4″ is a poorly designed product, and I’ve been hearing all winter of these amazing shrinking floors. Go to the plank floor section of the Hardwood Authority and you’ll soon realize that you cannot screw and peg a prefinished floor. It’s amazing to see these useless products in flooring showrooms, but it’s sad to hear the frustration when they start gaping and warping during the first winter, or humid summer. The exception to this would be a prefinished plank floor installed, and then face nailed with rose headed cut nails. This will not be as firm an installation, but it is the next best thing.
So that’s my first piece of advice, stick to the 2 1/4″ and 3 1/4″ sizes of the 3/4″ strip floor. While you are still in the comfort of the floor store, see if you can open a box of this flooring and assemble on a flat table or floor about 10-20 sq. ft. Some sales people will be reluctant to let you do this, but you wouldn’t buy a car with out a test drive would you? They do have the tools to repack the box, so this should be an easy request. There are a few things to look for. One is the fit, do the pieces slide together easily by hand? Are they well-milled, and stored in a dry environment? Look at how well the side edges fit, is there a bumpy feeling when you run you hand across the boards, or is it reasonably smooth. You should be aware that this product will look it’s best installed on a perfectly flat subfloor. Check to see if your subfloor is really that flat and level. If it isn’t, you should consider a sand-on-site hardwood floor.
Then the most important thing to consider is, do the ends all have a bit of a bevel, so that there are no splinter prone edges to catch your socks? Take your time, you’re going to put out big bucks for this floor and you’ll have to live with it for I hope the rest of your life. After all, the oak tree made these bones for 80 years, surely you can take a few days to find a well-made floor. Don’t depend on the display samples, these may be the best looking, but not typical examples of the wood you are about to choose.
After you’re quite convinced that you’ve found the floor with the right fit, let’s now discuss finishes. All the manufacturers claim to have the best, longest lasting, more coats, less coats but harder, and on an on. What’s one to do? The only real test for scratch resistance, (and isn’t that really what we’re concerned about) is to bring along a piece of extra fine steel wool. This may alarm some sales people in the showroom, but they will have some cut off samples for you to work on. So far the only finishes that will resist the scrubbing of extra fine steel wool are the Polynium ®, or aluminum oxide conversion finishes. It’s not really important how many coats they apply; it’s the finish itself. After you rub it with steel wool, has it lost it’s sheen, or turned white with small scratches. Imagine what it will look like in a few years with daily hard use. I have great reservation with aluminum oxide crystals in the film itself. They may be present in small amounts and be quite safe, until one day (and that day will come) when this floor is so full of dents and scratches, that it will have to be sanded and refinished. This is a normal routine for a strip floor. But the aluminum oxide dust that will be airborne during the sanding is a proven lung irritant, and a possible carcinogen. For solid wood strip floor I choose to avoid this by only using the Polynium® finished boards, as this film is polymerized titanium. The titanium oxide powder is much safer, as it is also used in cosmetics to sunscreens, and is only a skin irritant at worst.
So that takes care of the solid wood products. Then we ask, what about these so called laminated or engineered wood floors? Let’s not confuse these with the fake wood laminates, which are just pictures of wood encased in vinyl. Although imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I don’t discuss them much at all in this wood floor site. There are two basic categories of laminated wood floor and that is either 3-ply or 5-ply. Both are about 5/16″ thick. The 5 ply is, in my opinion, the better of the two, simply because the 5 layers of 1/16″ hardwood make for a more moisture stable, longer lasting, and harder plywood. Now it’s true you could never re-sand this thin top veneer, but as long as it doesn’t get too dented, you can treat it with the professional prep and re-coat systems I mention in my cleaning article in the Floored News section. Re-coating these engineered floors with water based finishes is a little tricky. Apply the first coat thinly with a paint pad and be careful not to puddle up the V grooves too much, this could lift and damage the veneer. The second coat can be a normal snow plow application if you wish, and always use two coats when re-coating with these rather low build water based finishes.
The 3-ply laminated floors have a top veneer of as much as 1/8″ and some of the 1/2″ laminated strip floors have as much as 1/6″ in their top ply. So these you can sand and refinish later in the life of the floor. But as you notice the makers of these products mention professional sanding, and claim up to 6 or more sanding and refinishing cycles. Speaking as a professional floor sander of 23 years, I know caution is the word when approaching these laminated floors, with my 3 horsepower drum sander. On one hand the customer expects you to take out all the dents and deep scratches, and your sanding machine demands that the floor be leveled for the first time in it’s life. Now days you’re going to be using very coarse sandpaper to get through these factory conversion finishes. Once you sand past the over-wood and beveled edges to get all the finish off it leaves a little wood left on the top of the groove. So, yes I would say the 1/8″ top veneered laminated floors can be sanded and finished once, and the 1/6″ top veneered probably twice, but no more. And never the 6 times the manufactures suggest.
If I were installing a laminated wood floor below grade, I would stay away from a floor that has veneer layers that are thicker that 1/8″ and would prefer the 5-ply material. If the veneer layers are thicker, they will tend to act like solid wood, expanding and warping when encountering moist conditions. Above grade these new thick layered plies might be OK but time and customer complaints will tell, and I’ll hear about them soon enough. But basement installations of these floors is not a good idea. And on second thought I wouldn’t put any hardwood floor in a basement. All it takes is a pinhole in a water pipe while on vacation, and your wooden floors are toast.
Oh, and avoid the laminated wood planks that have softwood cores. This is the cheaper less moisture stable way of making plywood. The two woods have very different rates of expansion, so this could be trouble. The are easily recognized by the thick band of white softwood in the middle.
One very popular (until you walk on one) type of laminated floor is the floating floor. It’s cited as the answer to unsuitable or irregular sub-floors, which cannot handle the glue down operation of the normal laminated floors. These come as separate boards, like a strip floor, or a glued up panel. In most cases they are simply glued edgewise to themselves over a foam pad. The temptation will be to buy the larger easier to install panels, but these may prove unsightly in the future as bit of dirt lodge in the unnatural looking seams of these paneled floors. They have 2-3 factory glued up boards on the panel, but then an unsightly gap will appear, as the less than perfect installation proceeds. These floors only seem to look perfect in the showroom. And the simple PVA glue will fail in a decade or so in the constantly walked on seams. This type of glue has little flex, and this is where it is needed the most.
For a quick easy glue-less installation, some manufactures have now incorporated a locking system that clicks these panels together. But after being in the market for a few years these glue-less boards are starting to talk back. They pop, squeak, and shift in these amateur installations, and considering they were about the same price as a glue down floor. Remember that the removal and replacement of a floor is more expensive in the long run.
And then there is the less known Austrian-German product that has a clip fitted floating system. This is precision milled solid wood in various thicknesses. The 7/8″ material is a bear to install, and quite expensive, but is tough enough to allow removal and re-installation. Most people choose the thinner 9/16″ thick boards, which are easier to install because of their flex. But I cannot figure why you’d want to do that, unless you wish to surprise the buyer of your house. “My gosh!”, they’ll say, “I’m sure there was a hardwood floor here before”.
There is no ignoring a bumpy sub-floor with any of these floating floors. This will cause the popping, and too tight a fit to a metal doorjamb will cause a squeak. The overall hollow sound turns me off entirely from these floors. Although I have to admit a floating type of installation may be the best answer to installing a floor on a radiant heated slab. There are always better (albeit more expensive) ways to get good performance out of a wood floor in this rather tricky situation.
All the comments I made about factory finishes in the beginning of this article apply even more so to these laminated wood floors, pick a good long lasting finish from the start. You can buy the best prefinished product in the world but if you fasten it to the wrong subfloor, it will cause you no end of grief, be sure to read my article in the Floored News section on Installing Strip Floor. For the laminated plank floor, that are glued down to concrete (that’s their best application) you will really need to read my up coming article on Concrete Subfloors. I will recommend certain glues and methods for this rather pernicious subject. Suffice to say for now as long as you use a good adhesive like Dri Tac (www.dritac.com), these laminated floors, although light duty, should give you 25-50 years of service.
Warranties are certainly and important issue when buying these factory floors but seeing how this article is getting a little long and you need a break from looking at your monitor I’ll deal with them in a future article. So there you have my humble opinion on what prefinished floor I would choose. If I had to.
So that takes care of the solid wood products. Then we ask, what about these so called laminated or engineered wood floors? Let’s not confuse these with the fake wood laminates, which are just pictures of wood encased in vinyl. Although imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I don’t discuss them much at all in this wood floor site. There are two basic categories of laminated wood floor and that is either 3-ply or 5-ply. Both are about 5/16″ thick. The 5 ply is, in my opinion, the better of the two, simply because the 5 layers of 1/16″ hardwood make for a more moisture stable, longer lasting, and harder plywood. Now it’s true you could never re-sand this thin top veneer, but as long as it doesn’t get too dented, you can treat it with the professional prep and re-coat systems I mention in my cleaning article in the Floored News section. Re-coating these engineered floors with water based finishes is a little tricky. Apply the first coat thinly with a paint pad and be careful not to puddle up the V grooves too much, this could lift and damage the veneer. The second coat can be a normal snow plow application if you wish, and always use two coats when re-coating with these rather low build water based finishes.
The 3-ply laminated floors have a top veneer of as much as 1/8″ and some of the 1/2″ laminated strip floors have as much as 1/6″ in their top ply. So these you can sand and refinish later in the life of the floor. But as you notice the makers of these products mention professional sanding, and claim up to 6 or more sanding and refinishing cycles. Speaking as a professional floor sander of 23 years, I know caution is the word when approaching these laminated floors, with my 3 horsepower drum sander. On one hand the customer expects you to take out all the dents and deep scratches, and your sanding machine demands that the floor be leveled for the first time in it’s life. Now days you’re going to be using very coarse sandpaper to get through these factory conversion finishes. Once you sand past the over-wood and beveled edges to get all the finish off it leaves a little wood left on the top of the groove. So, yes I would say the 1/8″ top veneered laminated floors can be sanded and finished once, and the 1/6″ top veneered probably twice, but no more. And never the 6 times the manufactures suggest.
If I were installing a laminated wood floor below grade, I would stay away from a floor that has veneer layers that are thicker that 1/8″ and would prefer the 5-ply material. If the veneer layers are thicker, they will tend to act like solid wood, expanding and warping when encountering moist conditions. Above grade these new thick layered plies might be OK but time and customer complaints will tell, and I’ll hear about them soon enough. But basement installations of these floors is not a good idea. And on second thought I wouldn’t put any hardwood floor in a basement. All it takes is a pinhole in a water pipe while on vacation, and your wooden floors are toast.
Oh, and avoid the laminated wood planks that have softwood cores. This is the cheaper less moisture stable way of making plywood. The two woods have very different rates of expansion, so this could be trouble. The are easily recognized by the thick band of white softwood in the middle.
One very popular (until you walk on one) type of laminated floor is the floating floor. It’s cited as the answer to unsuitable or irregular sub-floors, which cannot handle the glue down operation of the normal laminated floors. These come as separate boards, like a strip floor, or a glued up panel. In most cases they are simply glued edgewise to themselves over a foam pad. The temptation will be to buy the larger easier to install panels, but these may prove unsightly in the future as bit of dirt lodge in the unnatural looking seams of these paneled floors. They have 2-3 factory glued up boards on the panel, but then an unsightly gap will appear, as the less than perfect installation proceeds. These floors only seem to look perfect in the showroom. And the simple PVA glue will fail in a decade or so in the constantly walked on seams. This type of glue has little flex, and this is where it is needed the most.
For a quick easy glue-less installation, some manufactures have now incorporated a locking system that clicks these panels together. But after being in the market for a few years these glue-less boards are starting to talk back. They pop, squeak, and shift in these amateur installations, and considering they were about the same price as a glue down floor. Remember that the removal and replacement of a floor is more expensive in the long run.
And then there is the less known Austrian-German product that has a clip fitted floating system. This is precision milled solid wood in various thicknesses. The 7/8″ material is a bear to install, and quite expensive, but is tough enough to allow removal and re-installation. Most people choose the thinner 9/16″ thick boards, which are easier to install because of their flex. But I cannot figure why you’d want to do that, unless you wish to surprise the buyer of your house. “My gosh!”, they’ll say, “I’m sure there was a hardwood floor here before”.
There is no ignoring a bumpy sub-floor with any of these floating floors. This will cause the popping, and too tight a fit to a metal doorjamb will cause a squeak. The overall hollow sound turns me off entirely from these floors. Although I have to admit a floating type of installation may be the best answer to installing a floor on a radiant heated slab. There are always better (albeit more expensive) ways to get good performance out of a wood floor in this rather tricky situation.
All the comments I made about factory finishes in the beginning of this article apply even more so to these laminated wood floors, pick a good long lasting finish from the start. You can buy the best prefinished product in the world but if you fasten it to the wrong subfloor, it will cause you no end of grief, be sure to read my article in the Floored News section on Installing Strip Floor. For the laminated plank floor, that are glued down to concrete (that’s their best application) you will really need to read my up coming article on Concrete Subfloors. I will recommend certain glues and methods for this rather pernicious subject. Suffice to say for now as long as you use a good adhesive like Dri Tac (www.dritac.com), these laminated floors, although light duty, should give you 25-50 years of service.
Warranties are certainly and important issue when buying these factory floors but seeing how this article is getting a little long and you need a break from looking at your monitor I’ll deal with them in a future article. So there you have my humble opinion on what prefinished floor I would choose. If I had to. Warped Floorboards Caused By Humidity Swings
Often when people have moisture in their wood floors, they do not know the cause of damage. Homeowners will even question the craftsmanship of the wood floor installer when they see warped floorboards. Humidity fluctuations are a big contributor to warped hardwood floors. It impacts all types of wood floors brand new to very old. All different types of wood floors can be affected by moisture from hardwood to engineered to laminate to prefinished.
Commonly, humidity fluctuations are not noticeable. Damage to wood floors does not even have to be caused by water. Water vapor is enough to warp floorboards. In many instances, environmental factors cause wood floors to warp rather than shoddy workmanship on the part of the floor installer. Quick changes in humidity cause floorboards to warp. Either you have moisture being added or taken away, which causes the wood to expand or shrink. This is often the root cause of a warped wood floor.
In the wintertime, people will suddenly notice their wood floors shrinking where they have gaps in between floorboards. Then, in the summer they may see the opposite where their wood floors will expand and sometimes even buckle up. And there are some very predictable reasons for these warped floors.
If the floorboards are at 9 percent humidity and the room is at 20 percent humidity, the floorboards will swell and expand. Your floor will have a washboard appearance. This swelling wood floor is also known as a “cupping” floor. If the floorboards are at 15% humidity and the room is at a 3% humidity – very dry, the wood will shrink. You will see gaps or cracks between floorboards. A parquet floor that is laid properly in a humid climate will have small spaces between the floorboards allowing them to swell. Both shrinking and swelling floorboards are reason to make homeowners very concerned. You never want to exceed 20 per cent difference between the relative indoor humidity and the humidity of your floorboards.
That said, if you live in a climate where you have different seasons, the temperature and humidity level cannot change dramatically come winter and summer. For example, in the summer, humidity levels can be as much as 80%. If you don’t take measures to lower your indoor humidity, you will see your wood floors swell and buckle up. Typically, what will happen is the boards will push against each other. The boards will move into the expansion gaps along the edges because they have grown in size.
In the dead of winter when temperatures are extremely cold and the air is drier, your house may be at a humidity level of 25% but your floors may be as low as 5%. In this case, your EMC can be as high as 14%. Commonly, if a homeowner does not take appropriate measures to maintain a consistent indoor relative humidity, the wood floors will shrink and leave gaps in between the floorboards.
There are two primary reasons for humidity problems in hardwood floors. First, the wood flooring contractor has not tested the moisture content of the floorboards or the humidity level of the atmosphere in the room. Second, the homeowner has not done her part in maintaining a constant moisture level in the house. Sometimes homeowners are okay with keeping their house cold in the winter and wearing heavy sweaters. This is fine for the people but not fine for the hardwood floors. They will shrink to the point where you may see gaps in the floorboards.
Often, homeowners do not know the importance of creating a stable interior moisture level of their home. Usually, a simple dehumidifier can be a solution. If the moisture is significant, an industrial fan should do the trick. Also, use a hygrometer also known as a moisture meter to measure moisture levels in both the floor at the atmosphere of your home. A hygrometer is also known as a wet-dry bulb thermometer. This can be purchased on the Internet or at an electronics store. Don’t get a cheap metal one, you will not get an accurate reading of your moisture levels.
Some things to note about wood floors and humidity. Both wide and narrow plank floors are affected equally by humidity. However, wide planked floors are affected by humidity in a more visible way than narrow plank floors. Some wood species are less affected by moisture fluctuations. For example, red oak is more stable than hickory. That said, a hickory wood floor will expand and shrink more than a red oak floor with humidity swings.
In the summer, you should be using a dehumidifier regularly. If the indoor relative humidity is above 60%, you should use an air conditioner to dry out the air. If your floor is so bad that it needs repairs, it is best to do them in the spring.
Warped floors are preventable, especially when caused by humidity fluctuations. If you are getting a contractor to lay your wood floor, make sure he measures the relative humidity of the atmosphere of your home as well as your floorboards before laying the floor. Also, make sure that your floor is well sealed so moisture should not really impact it too much. Further, a thick plywood subfloor is terrific for helping create a moisture barrier. Do not use staples to secure your floor. Use flooring nails instead to ensure your boards don’t pop.
In the dead of winter when temperatures are extremely cold and the air is drier, your house may be at a humidity level of 25% but your floors may be as low as 5%. In this case, your EMC can be as high as 14%. Commonly, if a homeowner does not take appropriate measures to maintain a consistent indoor relative humidity, the wood floors will shrink and leave gaps in between the floorboards.
There are two primary reasons for humidity problems in hardwood floors. First, the wood flooring contractor has not tested the moisture content of the floorboards or the humidity level of the atmosphere in the room. Second, the homeowner has not done her part in maintaining a constant moisture level in the house. Sometimes homeowners are okay with keeping their house cold in the winter and wearing heavy sweaters. This is fine for the people but not fine for the hardwood floors. They will shrink to the point where you may see gaps in the floorboards.
Often, homeowners do not know the importance of creating a stable interior moisture level of their home. Usually, a simple dehumidifier can be a solution. If the moisture is significant, an industrial fan should do the trick. Also, use a hygrometer also known as a moisture meter to measure moisture levels in both the floor at the atmosphere of your home. A hygrometer is also known as a wet-dry bulb thermometer. This can be purchased on the Internet or at an electronics store. Don’t get a cheap metal one, you will not get an accurate reading of your moisture levels.
Some things to note about wood floors and humidity. Both wide and narrow plank floors are affected equally by humidity. However, wide planked floors are affected by humidity in a more visible way than narrow plank floors. Some wood species are less affected by moisture fluctuations. For example, red oak is more stable than hickory. That said, a hickory wood floor will expand and shrink more than a red oak floor with humidity swings.
In the summer, you should be using a dehumidifier regularly. If the indoor relative humidity is above 60%, you should use an air conditioner to dry out the air. If your floor is so bad that it needs repairs, it is best to do them in the spring.
Warped floors are preventable, especially when caused by humidity fluctuations. If you are getting a contractor to lay your wood floor, make sure he measures the relative humidity of the atmosphere of your home as well as your floorboards before laying the floor. Also, make sure that your floor is well sealed so moisture should not really impact it too much. Further, a thick plywood subfloor is terrific for helping create a moisture barrier. Do not use staples to secure your floor. Use flooring nails instead to ensure your boards don’t pop. Hydronic and Radiant Heating Under Your Wood Floors
Avoid the amazing winter shrinking floor by following the detailed guidelines I set out in this article.
Oh for sure there are a lot of considerations before you install a solid wood floor over a hydronic heating system. First I should state honestly and truly that these heating systems work better when you have a real thermal mass like ceramic or stone over top of them. Then the dense floor material will absorb the heat slowly and hold it, letting it more gently and evenly heat the room. Wood on the other hand will act as a bit of an insulator, blocking the heat from reaching you. But that said, even a wood floor will warm up and heat you and the room quite well. A good compromise is to install the hydronic system right in a concrete slab and install the wood on the concrete.
When you are installing wood floors over top of concrete the double layer (two layers of 1/2” ply) floating plywood method will be the best method. I give the details of this method in my Wood Floors on Concrete article. The reason for this thick plywood subfloor is to prevent the 2″ angled flooring nails from penetrating all the way through the subfloor. This is important because you do not want any excess moisture in a concrete slab to ever get into the wood. The flooring nails (never use floor staples) will only penetrate 7/8 “, thus providing an unbroken vapor barrier under the floor. It’s the moisture difference between the top and bottom of wood floors that causes cupping and crowning.
But most folks seem to want a strip floor installed on the hydronic heating system that runs under a wooden subfloor. And again I would suggest a heavy 1” plywood subfloor be installed. Or add a layer of ply so the total thickness of the subfloor is one inch . The reason for this thick plywood subfloor is also valid when you have wooden joists with a basement or crawl space under the floor. The thick waterproof plywood subfloor will not be penetrated by the flooring nails. This is the only way to have a really unbroken vapor barrier under the floor. A simple layer of roofing felt laid on a thin subfloor with a thousand flooring nails punched in it, will not do. The one inch plywood subfloor will hold the flooring nails better, and is your only chance to keep the top and bottom of the hardwood strip moisture stable.
But it also is the high temperature of the wood that will tend to dry out the wood more than usual and more quickly in the Fall when you turn on a hydronic heating system. You have to take steps to slow the moisture migration in and out of the wood, when the heating season changes. You have to be aware of the hygroscopic nature of wood.
It would be best to stick with the 2 1/4″ size of 3/4″ strip floor, this is the most stable sized wood available. I mean moisture stable. When this size wood shrinks and expands with indoor humidity changes, because of it’s narrow configuration, it will move half as much as the 5” wide boards, thus forming the smallest gaps in the long run.
I think people’s greatest disappointment with wood floors is the large gaps they form, when there is a great change in relative indoor humidity. Avoid the wide plank floors unless you don’t mind large, unsightly, dirt collecting gaps.
Be sure to use the 3/4” depth of strip floor, these floors will resist warping. If it does warp it will be minimal. This is a good place to use a satin finish on the surface of the wood. A low luster finish will show any slight cupping or crowning a lot less than a high gloss finish will.
The best wood for this hydronic application would be a quarter sawn CLEAR grade of white or red oak. Because of the way this wood is selected and milled it will have the best chance to resist surface warping. I would strongly consider having these unfinished strips coated at least once on the underside a week or more before they are installed (with oil based polyurethane). They also have to be stored in an environment that is most like how you live, for about 2 weeks before they are installed. Best to do the acclimatizing, and installation during the heating season, with the heat in the hydronic heating system and the subfloor never exceeding 80 F. Don’t store the wood in your own house if you are still plastering or painting, or any cement is curing. Concrete slabs will take at least 60-90 days to cure. Wood is hygroscopic it will take on this moisture and expand along it’s width.
You must moisture test the hardwood and the subfloor with an electronic probe, to make sure both fall within the EMC range of indoor wood in your region. You can find out what the proper EMC (equilibrium moisture content) for indoor wood is by contacting a wood floor or cabinet making shop.
But if it’s a glue down floor you want, try a square edged parquet (not the tongue and groove parquet commonly found at the big floor stores) or maybe a real 5 ply laminated wood floor. You will get better performance in the long run with either of these. There will only be minor shrinkage and gapping with the parquet. And the 5 ply laminated wood plank will keep the same dimensions though out it’s life. Be sure to read about the laminated prefinished floors in my “Prefinished Wood Floors : How to Choose ?” article free in this web site also. The most important consideration here is the adhesive. A poor flooring adhesive will fail all too quickly when subjected to the prolonged under floor heating conditions.
I have been using the rubber based mastics and specifically the Dri Tac 6200 brand for an number of years now, with great results. This is the glue holding down thousands of square feet of parquet that I have laid in the past 5 years. We just went through a particularly hot and humid summer in the North East and just about all of these installations have no air conditioning, and some don’t even bother dehumidifying their basements (big mistake). But only 2-3 small areas (less than a sq. ft. each) in all that flooring buckled up that summer. And once the humidity dropped, the pieces of parquet were simply pressed back in place, into the still tacky glue. Hence the name Dri Tac.
In fact I talked to the vice president of the company and she said they have samples of this glue that they have checked after 45 years, and the tack and flexibility is still there. This stuff just keeps going and going, and will give you almost unlimited life to your parquet floors. This is the only glue that I trust to my parquet and laminated wood floors. Dri Tac is also what I use for all the parquet repairs I do. It has what they call “memory”, so that when the glued pieces shift out of place in humid once conditions dry, the wood will be drawn back into position, by the strong tack in the glue itself.
There is no doubt that this memory will also come in handy with the hydronic heating system, keeping the wood slats flexible but firmly glued to the floor. And even the laminated wood floor benefit from the proven high tack and longevity of this glue. I like this glue so much I am going to be writing a separate article on this amazing stuff and the company behind it. Also I do have a separate (but paid) article, for the parquet aficionados. This article will explain in more detail the distinct advantages of this age old material. Yes, finished parquetry predates by centuries the finished tongue and groove strip floor.
Be sure to sand a solid wood floor nicely and finish it with 3-4 coats of Oil modified Polyurethane. This finish has proven to be the most moisture resistant finish. Never use water based finishes, and never use prefinished floors, for these types of applications. Water based finishes in my opinion are still in the infancy of their development, and have yet to prove good performance over the long run. And prefinished solid wood floors are just inviting wood movement and shrinkage with the open seams between the boards. As I said before the exception would be the laminated prefinished floors, which are the most stable in this type of application, due to their waterproof glue layers. But the thinner the ply layers the better, as explained in my Prefinished floor article (free).
Oh, you could also use the floating laminated wood floor, but I have to say these will sound rather drum like when you walk upon them with hard shoes. And the foam pad they generally employ will degrade quickly in this high temperature application. But try instead use cork as a under pad in this case. You need an exceptionally level and smooth subfloor for floating floors to avoid popping of boards that span dips. This advice is contrary to what you will hear at your big flooring show room. Just let logic guide you in this case.
After the wood floor has been finished, make sure that you don’t allow the wood itself to reach over 80 F. This should be fine as a 80 F temperature at your feet should make for a very comfortable 70 F temperature at your head. You will need to raise the temperature gradually during the fall, and let it down gradually in the spring. It would be a good idea to have as many as three thermostats, like they have in commercial buildings. One inside and one outside, measuring air temperature. This will give the system a chance to adapt slowly during the season change. And then one more measuring the temperature of the water in the system as close to the floor as possible, so that it doesn’t exceed 80 F.
And most importantly buy a wet-dry bulb hygrometer and keep the room at between 40-60 % relative humidity all year round. 50 % would be best, but the main thing is to keep the RANGE of indoor relative humidity as narrow as possible. If there is a crawl space or basement under this floor, it would be best to keep this area also within this humidity range if possible. Sounds like a lot of trouble to me, and like I said ceramic makes a better thermal mass. But these methods I have described here will work for wood floors over these hydronic heating systems. At least you know now what you are up against, I don’t tend to sugar coat the truth.
It would be best to stick with the 2 1/4″ size of 3/4″ strip floor, this is the most stable sized wood available. I mean moisture stable. When this size wood shrinks and expands with indoor humidity changes, because of it’s narrow configuration, it will move half as much as the 5” wide boards, thus forming the smallest gaps in the long run.
I think people’s greatest disappointment with wood floors is the large gaps they form, when there is a great change in relative indoor humidity. Avoid the wide plank floors unless you don’t mind large, unsightly, dirt collecting gaps.
Be sure to use the 3/4” depth of strip floor, these floors will resist warping. If it does warp it will be minimal. This is a good place to use a satin finish on the surface of the wood. A low luster finish will show any slight cupping or crowning a lot less than a high gloss finish will.
The best wood for this hydronic application would be a quarter sawn CLEAR grade of white or red oak. Because of the way this wood is selected and milled it will have the best chance to resist surface warping. I would strongly consider having these unfinished strips coated at least once on the underside a week or more before they are installed (with oil based polyurethane). They also have to be stored in an environment that is most like how you live, for about 2 weeks before they are installed. Best to do the acclimatizing, and installation during the heating season, with the heat in the hydronic heating system and the subfloor never exceeding 80 F. Don’t store the wood in your own house if you are still plastering or painting, or any cement is curing. Concrete slabs will take at least 60-90 days to cure. Wood is hygroscopic it will take on this moisture and expand along it’s width.
You must moisture test the hardwood and the subfloor with an electronic probe, to make sure both fall within the EMC range of indoor wood in your region. You can find out what the proper EMC (equilibrium moisture content) for indoor wood is by contacting a wood floor or cabinet making shop.
But if it’s a glue down floor you want, try a square edged parquet (not the tongue and groove parquet commonly found at the big floor stores) or maybe a real 5 ply laminated wood floor. You will get better performance in the long run with either of these. There will only be minor shrinkage and gapping with the parquet. And the 5 ply laminated wood plank will keep the same dimensions though out it’s life. Be sure to read about the laminated prefinished floors in my “Prefinished Wood Floors : How to Choose ?” article free in this web site also. The most important consideration here is the adhesive. A poor flooring adhesive will fail all too quickly when subjected to the prolonged under floor heating conditions.
I have been using the rubber based mastics and specifically the Dri Tac 6200 brand for an number of years now, with great results. This is the glue holding down thousands of square feet of parquet that I have laid in the past 5 years. We just went through a particularly hot and humid summer in the North East and just about all of these installations have no air conditioning, and some don’t even bother dehumidifying their basements (big mistake). But only 2-3 small areas (less than a sq. ft. each) in all that flooring buckled up that summer. And once the humidity dropped, the pieces of parquet were simply pressed back in place, into the still tacky glue. Hence the name Dri Tac.
In fact I talked to the vice president of the company and she said they have samples of this glue that they have checked after 45 years, and the tack and flexibility is still there. This stuff just keeps going and going, and will give you almost unlimited life to your parquet floors. This is the only glue that I trust to my parquet and laminated wood floors. Dri Tac is also what I use for all the parquet repairs I do. It has what they call “memory”, so that when the glued pieces shift out of place in humid once conditions dry, the wood will be drawn back into position, by the strong tack in the glue itself.
There is no doubt that this memory will also come in handy with the hydronic heating system, keeping the wood slats flexible but firmly glued to the floor. And even the laminated wood floor benefit from the proven high tack and longevity of this glue. I like this glue so much I am going to be writing a separate article on this amazing stuff and the company behind it. Also I do have a separate (but paid) article, for the parquet aficionados. This article will explain in more detail the distinct advantages of this age old material. Yes, finished parquetry predates by centuries the finished tongue and groove strip floor.
Be sure to sand a solid wood floor nicely and finish it with 3-4 coats of Oil modified Polyurethane. This finish has proven to be the most moisture resistant finish. Never use water based finishes, and never use prefinished floors, for these types of applications. Water based finishes in my opinion are still in the infancy of their development, and have yet to prove good performance over the long run. And prefinished solid wood floors are just inviting wood movement and shrinkage with the open seams between the boards. As I said before the exception would be the laminated prefinished floors, which are the most stable in this type of application, due to their waterproof glue layers. But the thinner the ply layers the better, as explained in my Prefinished floor article (free).
Oh, you could also use the floating laminated wood floor, but I have to say these will sound rather drum like when you walk upon them with hard shoes. And the foam pad they generally employ will degrade quickly in this high temperature application. But try instead use cork as a under pad in this case. You need an exceptionally level and smooth subfloor for floating floors to avoid popping of boards that span dips. This advice is contrary to what you will hear at your big flooring show room. Just let logic guide you in this case.
After the wood floor has been finished, make sure that you don’t allow the wood itself to reach over 80 F. This should be fine as a 80 F temperature at your feet should make for a very comfortable 70 F temperature at your head. You will need to raise the temperature gradually during the fall, and let it down gradually in the spring. It would be a good idea to have as many as three thermostats, like they have in commercial buildings. One inside and one outside, measuring air temperature. This will give the system a chance to adapt slowly during the season change. And then one more measuring the temperature of the water in the system as close to the floor as possible, so that it doesn’t exceed 80 F.
And most importantly buy a wet-dry bulb hygrometer and keep the room at between 40-60 % relative humidity all year round. 50 % would be best, but the main thing is to keep the RANGE of indoor relative humidity as narrow as possible. If there is a crawl space or basement under this floor, it would be best to keep this area also within this humidity range if possible. Sounds like a lot of trouble to me, and like I said ceramic makes a better thermal mass. But these methods I have described here will work for wood floors over these hydronic heating systems. At least you know now what you are up against, I don’t tend to sugar coat the truth. Squeak Ender: A Quick and Effective Solution to Wood Floor Squeaks
The Squeak-Ender is designed only for floors that have already been installed. If you have not yet installed your wood floors, I highly recommend reading my article, “Avoiding Squeaks and Pops when Nailing Down a New Strip Floor”. By reading this article, you will prevent squeaks throughout the life of your hardwood floor and you won’t have to use the SqueakEnder!
There are many products like the Squeak Ender on the market. The Squeak Ender is the best in my opinion. It is well engineered and should hold up well. The Squeak Ender is a good squeak eliminator solution. If you want to get a bit more creative and do a true do-it-yourself project where you don’t even buy a repair kit, I recommend reading my article “Stopping those annoying squeaks in your wood floors!” if you want to make your own more economical squeak eliminator.
For those of you who want a quick squeak eliminator, I recommend the Squeak-Ender. It is available online and at your local hardware store. The SqueakEnder is relatively cheap and goes for anywhere between $7.69 to $11.49.
It is terrific for old and new hardwood floors alike. When using the Squeak-Ender, you need to repair your floor from underneath. The Squeak-Ender works well but is not always ideal. The reason is that you need to access the floor joists. This means that you needs to have an unfinished basement or a crawl space where you can access the underside of your hardwood floor. If you live in a 2-story home and your floors upstairs squeak, this product is not suitable for you.
The Squeak-Ender is for squeaks that occur between your floor and your subfloor. It eliminates the gap and tightens up the subfloor to the joist. This is often the culprit of those annoying squeaky sounds! This repair product stops the movement in the floor. There is no damage to the hardwood floor at all.
It is terrific for any thickness of sub-floor. The Squeak-Ender works on floors supported by joists up to 2×10 inches. Most floor joists are 2×10. The Squeak-Ender is a fast solution to eliminating squeaks. It is quite simple to use and effective for the long-term. It only takes a few minutes to install. The only tools needed for the job are a Phillips screwdriver and an adjustable wrench.
2. Take your hanger bolt. Thread the hanger bolt through your anchor plate on the concave side. Your anchor plate is designed to butt up against the floor joist.
3. Place the anchor plate with the hanger bolt flush against the floor joist closest to the squeak.
4. Screw the anchor plate to the floor in all 4 screw holes. You will need to use a Phillips screwdriver.
5. Put the joist bracket over the hanger bolt and over the joist.
6. Place the washer and hex but over top of the hanger bolt. Tighten the nut with an adjustable wrench. Make sure not to tighten it too much.
Your squeaks will be eliminated. If you have squeaks in multiple areas, you may need to purchase more than one SqueekEnder and use it in a few spots. You may need several as one will not do the trick!
How to use the Squeak-Ender:
1. Have someone walk across the floor to find the squeaky area. You should be down below at the underside of the floor listening for the squeaks and locating the squeaky area. Chances are you will see movement in the floor. If you don’t have someone to walk across the floor while you listen, here is another way to locate the squeaks: Look at the underside of the floor, if you can see a nail rubbing against the joist that is not in the wood, this is going to be the source of your squeaks. Once you have found it, you are ready to fix your squeak.2. Take your hanger bolt. Thread the hanger bolt through your anchor plate on the concave side. Your anchor plate is designed to butt up against the floor joist.
3. Place the anchor plate with the hanger bolt flush against the floor joist closest to the squeak.
4. Screw the anchor plate to the floor in all 4 screw holes. You will need to use a Phillips screwdriver.
5. Put the joist bracket over the hanger bolt and over the joist.
6. Place the washer and hex but over top of the hanger bolt. Tighten the nut with an adjustable wrench. Make sure not to tighten it too much.
Your squeaks will be eliminated. If you have squeaks in multiple areas, you may need to purchase more than one SqueekEnder and use it in a few spots. You may need several as one will not do the trick! The Science Behind Moisture and Wood Floors
Water, water vapor, humidity and moisture all have something in common: they all damage wood floors. The opposite is true when you have extreme cold and dry weather. This can also damage wood floors. A lot of people do not know why their floors are suddenly swelling up or shrinking. People often do not know why their floors suddenly have gaps in the floorboards or are buckling up. It is most often a problem related to moisture.
Humidity swings will always affect wood. Humidity swings are fluctuations or quick changes in the humidity. This is often related to weather. You could have several days of hot weather with lots of humidity or several days of extreme cold and bone dryness. Both of these extremes will affect your wood floors.
Wood naturally sucks up moisture from the atmosphere. Scientifically speaking, wood is hygroscopic. Hygroscopic simply means that not only does wood take in moisture but it also retains it. Water usually will not escape the wood on its own. Wood will expand when it comes in contact with water as the water seeps into the wood. Even after the wood has dried, it will still be affected by the water.
To understand it from the manufacturing side, when wood leaves the sawmill, it leaves “green”. It typically has a moisture content of around 30%. This moisture level is too high for wood floors as it will dry out and shrink. Floor manufacturers dry out wood to a level of between 5 to 8%. This is according to NOFMA (National Wood Flooring Association) standards. When the wood is dried out from 30 to 9%, the wood loses approximately 7% of its size.
Wood floors are going to be at their the best in temperatures between 68 and 72 degrees and a relative indoor humidity of 40% and 60%. This is ideal all year-round. Fortunately, that is comfortable for most people as well. To save money in the heat, people open their doors and windows to let in the cool air. Little do they know, they are bringing in the humidity. This will cause your floors to buckle and pop. Also, if you live in a climate like Florida and decide to conserve energy when you go away for a few weeks by turning off your air conditioner, you may come back to hardwood floors that have swelled up because of excess humidity. You need to keep your home at a relatively consistent temperature.
I am constantly asked about warped hardwood floors. Warped floorboards occur when one face (side) of the board has significantly more moisture than the other. Almost every time there is cupping and crowning, it is because of moisture in the wood. When you have different amounts of moisture in a floorboard, the wood will expand and contract. If you live in a climate where you experience humidity swings often, you may see it in your hardwood floors. It is the warm, humid weather that makes wood expand. Dry weather makes hardwood floors contract. This will happen to wood floors, no matter how new or old they are.
Now that you understand the effects of humidity on wood floors, it is a good idea to detect moisture in floorboards. When floorboards warp because of humidity, it is known as cupping and crowning. Cupping is when the floorboards warp upward. Cupping is concave. The floorboards are raised up because of the higher than normal moisture content. The floorboards expand and puff up because the moisture in them. The edges of the floorboards are raised. You can see this in any style of wood floor.
Imagine crowning to be like the opposite of cupping. Crowning is concave. Crowning is when floorboards warp downward. A floor crowns because it loses excess moisture. A cupping floorboard has a shrunken underside. The cupping floorboards flattens in the middle. It makes the edges of the floorboards lower.
Not all floors warp the same. An older floor will warp less as it already has gaps in it. A new wood floor that was laid with small spaces will warp less because there is more room for the wood to expand. A wood floor laid very tightly will warp and buckle more as it has no place to move when the wood swells with moisture.
Now that you understand how moisture affects wood floors, I recommend reading on to learn about what you can do to prevent moisture problems or how to deal with them in my article “Humidity Swings and Wood Floors”.
I am constantly asked about warped hardwood floors. Warped floorboards occur when one face (side) of the board has significantly more moisture than the other. Almost every time there is cupping and crowning, it is because of moisture in the wood. When you have different amounts of moisture in a floorboard, the wood will expand and contract. If you live in a climate where you experience humidity swings often, you may see it in your hardwood floors. It is the warm, humid weather that makes wood expand. Dry weather makes hardwood floors contract. This will happen to wood floors, no matter how new or old they are.
Now that you understand the effects of humidity on wood floors, it is a good idea to detect moisture in floorboards. When floorboards warp because of humidity, it is known as cupping and crowning. Cupping is when the floorboards warp upward. Cupping is concave. The floorboards are raised up because of the higher than normal moisture content. The floorboards expand and puff up because the moisture in them. The edges of the floorboards are raised. You can see this in any style of wood floor.
Imagine crowning to be like the opposite of cupping. Crowning is concave. Crowning is when floorboards warp downward. A floor crowns because it loses excess moisture. A cupping floorboard has a shrunken underside. The cupping floorboards flattens in the middle. It makes the edges of the floorboards lower.
Not all floors warp the same. An older floor will warp less as it already has gaps in it. A new wood floor that was laid with small spaces will warp less because there is more room for the wood to expand. A wood floor laid very tightly will warp and buckle more as it has no place to move when the wood swells with moisture.
Now that you understand how moisture affects wood floors, I recommend reading on to learn about what you can do to prevent moisture problems or how to deal with them in my article “Humidity Swings and Wood Floors”. Keeping Your Wood Floors Clean: Mold Prevention and Mold Detection
If you have never experienced mold, you need to take necessary measures so that it will never occur. Mold is a mess and a health hazard! It is fungi. Mold eats and grows just like we do. A tree, even after it is harvested and turned into floorboards, contains fatty acids, sugars, starches, proteins and lipids. This is all nutrients for the mold. You don’t see mold in a living tree commonly because the bark has a natural barrier against fungi. Once the tree is cut down, the bark no longer acts as a protective defence.
Mold can occur in old and new homes. Often the new homes are so airtight that moisture cannot escape. Mold is dangerous to your health so preventing it is a great idea. Mold can come in different colors. On wood, it can be yellow, orange, green or black. Mold often discolors wood.
Here are some tips to prevent mold. Maintain a consistent indoor relative humidity. You can do this by purchasing a moisture meter also known as a hygrometer. You can pick one up at your local electronics store. Keep a logbook so you can easily pay attention to fluctuations. Mold breeds in temperatures ranging from 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you are unsure if you have mold in your house, you may want to hire a professional to test the air. Mold can grow on furniture, wood floors, carpets, and so forth. Mold will grow in anything that is organic. The organic matter becomes its food supply. This coupled with moisture and oxygen is all that is needed. Most but not all varieties of mold require oxygen. If you have any areas of your wood floors that have a moisture content of 20% or greater, you are asking for mold and water in most cases.
If you have a dehumidifier that collects water in a basin at the bottom and you have it in a room with hardwood floors, be sure to empty it regularly so it won’t overflow. Same goes for any live plants that you have. If you overwater them and water gets onto the hardwood floors, there is a chance that mold will grow. Any standing water on wood floors is dangerous. It can cause water stains and mold. Keep your floors dry. Use a rag to dry any standing water on your hardwood floors always. If you detect any moisture, it may be worth it turn up the heat with a portable heater.
To understand mold on your wood floors more scientifically, when it comes from standing water it is often stain fungi. This is when you have had a puddle of water for a few days. This variety of mold penetrates the wood but not very deeply. As this mold grows deeper into the wood, it will change. The color of the mold will darken as it ages. When the mold darkens, it is called “blue stain”.
The mold that comes from chronic water from a leaky pipe, for example, is often decay fungi. This is when the mold attacks the wood fibers weakening them. This is what causes wood rot. The spores of decay fungi do not sit on the surface of the wood but rather go inside the wood.
Sometimes you can have excess moisture in your house without even noticing it. You may have mold spores but not even know how they got there. You may also have a leak without knowing. It can be as simple as a defective water pipe, a water heater leaking from the bottom or an open window bringing in humidity. Often the dampest area of a house is the basement. Basements are also the place in your house most likely to flood. If you have wood floors in your basement, you will need to be extra careful to monitor the moisture to avoid mold.
If you are unsure get your house checked out. If you have mold and don’t know what kind it is, it does not matter. Treat the mold immediately. Don’t worry about figuring out what kind of mold you have and getting a mold detection kit. It is expensive because any samples you get will have to be lab tested. You need a microscope to understand what variety of mold you have. To hire the right kind of professional, you will need a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH). The naked eye cannot detect it. Besides, it is pretty much impossible to test the mold if it has penetrated the wood floor. Cleaning and removing all the mold spores is all that you need to do.
Keep your home at a relatively consistent indoor humidity level. A good general rule is to maintain an indoor relative humidity of 30 to 50 per cent during heating season. When outdoor temperatures dip below minus 10 degrees celsius, it is best to keep your indoor relative humidity at around 30 per cent. Also, make sure to clean up spills of water or any liquid on your hardwood floors immediately. You will prevent mold from starting.
Mold can occur in old and new homes. Often the new homes are so airtight that moisture cannot escape. Mold is dangerous to your health so preventing it is a great idea. Mold can come in different colors. On wood, it can be yellow, orange, green or black. Mold often discolors wood.
Here are some tips to prevent mold. Maintain a consistent indoor relative humidity. You can do this by purchasing a moisture meter also known as a hygrometer. You can pick one up at your local electronics store. Keep a logbook so you can easily pay attention to fluctuations. Mold breeds in temperatures ranging from 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you are unsure if you have mold in your house, you may want to hire a professional to test the air. Mold can grow on furniture, wood floors, carpets, and so forth. Mold will grow in anything that is organic. The organic matter becomes its food supply. This coupled with moisture and oxygen is all that is needed. Most but not all varieties of mold require oxygen. If you have any areas of your wood floors that have a moisture content of 20% or greater, you are asking for mold and water in most cases.
If you have a dehumidifier that collects water in a basin at the bottom and you have it in a room with hardwood floors, be sure to empty it regularly so it won’t overflow. Same goes for any live plants that you have. If you overwater them and water gets onto the hardwood floors, there is a chance that mold will grow. Any standing water on wood floors is dangerous. It can cause water stains and mold. Keep your floors dry. Use a rag to dry any standing water on your hardwood floors always. If you detect any moisture, it may be worth it turn up the heat with a portable heater.
To understand mold on your wood floors more scientifically, when it comes from standing water it is often stain fungi. This is when you have had a puddle of water for a few days. This variety of mold penetrates the wood but not very deeply. As this mold grows deeper into the wood, it will change. The color of the mold will darken as it ages. When the mold darkens, it is called “blue stain”.
The mold that comes from chronic water from a leaky pipe, for example, is often decay fungi. This is when the mold attacks the wood fibers weakening them. This is what causes wood rot. The spores of decay fungi do not sit on the surface of the wood but rather go inside the wood.
Sometimes you can have excess moisture in your house without even noticing it. You may have mold spores but not even know how they got there. You may also have a leak without knowing. It can be as simple as a defective water pipe, a water heater leaking from the bottom or an open window bringing in humidity. Often the dampest area of a house is the basement. Basements are also the place in your house most likely to flood. If you have wood floors in your basement, you will need to be extra careful to monitor the moisture to avoid mold.
If you are unsure get your house checked out. If you have mold and don’t know what kind it is, it does not matter. Treat the mold immediately. Don’t worry about figuring out what kind of mold you have and getting a mold detection kit. It is expensive because any samples you get will have to be lab tested. You need a microscope to understand what variety of mold you have. To hire the right kind of professional, you will need a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH). The naked eye cannot detect it. Besides, it is pretty much impossible to test the mold if it has penetrated the wood floor. Cleaning and removing all the mold spores is all that you need to do.
Keep your home at a relatively consistent indoor humidity level. A good general rule is to maintain an indoor relative humidity of 30 to 50 per cent during heating season. When outdoor temperatures dip below minus 10 degrees celsius, it is best to keep your indoor relative humidity at around 30 per cent. Also, make sure to clean up spills of water or any liquid on your hardwood floors immediately. You will prevent mold from starting.