Buckling
What it is: The wood flooring becomes separated from the subfloor. It usually is accompanied by cupping and swelling.
Cause: Moisture caused by:
- Excessive job-site moisture
- A house left vacant with no ventilation (see "Greenhouse Effect")
- Grade conditions
- Pipe leaks
- A wet slab
Excessive moisture always is the main cause of buckling. Factors that may aggravate the problem include these improper installation techniques:
- For nail-down products, inadequate nailing, incorrect fasteners, incorrect subfloor construction,
- For glue-down products, incorrect adhesive, insufficient adhesive, the wrong trowel, inadequate adhesive transfer (due to over-flashing or not rolling the floor), subfloor separation or subfloor contamination.
- Inadequate expansion space left by the installer.
Cure: Fix the excessive-moisture condition and allow the floor to dry to normal levels. Spot repair/replacement, reinstallation, renailing and refinishing are some
options. In most cases where the flooring has loosened from the subfloor throughout the installation, reinstallation or replacement is necessary.
Installing Wood Floors
![Installing Wood Floors](/images/whtnails_w.gif)
Step by step procedures, layout, design, specialty installation, handling, storage of material & proper nail sequence
Custom Wood Floors:
![Installing Wood Floors](/images/rc.gif)
Step by step procedures, layout, design, specialty installation, handling, storage of material & proper nail sequence
Painted Wood Floors
![Installing Wood Floors](/images/medallion.gif)
Custom 1-of-a-kind, faux finishes painted onto wood floors, faux marble, brass inlays, exotic wood floor species, and painted oriental carpets
Finishing Wood Floors
![Finishing Wood Floors](/images/finishfig3.gif)
Step by step how to refinish old & new wood floors, types of finishes, application techniques, do's & don'ts
Plank Wood Floors
![Plank Wood Floors](/images/Breckenridge-Satin1.jpg)
An old American tradition, wide plank wood floors of many species from 3" - 10" planks
Prefinished Wood Floors
![Installing Wood Floors](/images/prefinishedstandardandbetteroaksm.jpg)
gives you an insight of this factory finished product vs unfinished hardwood flooring, room setting photo gallery
Bamboo Floors
![Installing Wood Floors](/images/bamboo-carbonized.jpg)
This wood floor product that can be laid on any proper subfloor including concrete. Prefinished or unfinished.
Engineered Wood Floors
![](/images/engineered_wood.jpg)
This wood floor product that can be laid on any proper subfloor including concrete. Prefinished or unfinished.