Why Is Some Hardwood Flooring Rippled

Floor buckling happens most often after a floor has been flooded for an extended period of time.

Why is some hardwood flooring rippled.

It sounds like it is caused by humidity but allowed to happen because of a poor finish and a lack of sealant. While i m sure it got a bit damp as it does in the summer in indiana i don t think that s the cause of the problem. I think that there is some issue with the. Fortunately this is not a common occurrence.

After work completed we noticed areas of visual rippling i e. If the floors were installed with improper nailing schedules or the incorrect adhesive they will be loose and cause noise. The floor is completely smooth but visually there appear to be ribbons in the finish. Buckling occurs when the wood flooring actually pulls up from the subfloor lifting several inches in one or more places.

Hardwood floors with significant movement or noises could be the result of several factors. Otherwise the floor machine will simply follow the contour ripples and probably make them even more pronounced. Reclaimed hardwood flooring refers to the use of planks that have already served another purpose. Rippling after sanding is normally caused by a drum sander that doesn t work properly.

All the hardwood floors in my 1927 bungalow were refinished with 3 coats of oil based polyurethane this week. I noticed the waves on hardwood floor probably a month or so after installation. We recently refinished a wood floor. It re appeared the second time probably because once these ripples are in the floor you would have to initially sand on a bit of an angle to flatten the floor and remove them.

Read about troubleshooting the causes of rippled floors. Floor buckling is the most extreme reaction to moisture in a hardwood floor. Your question sounds like you are referring to the flat surface of the planks rippling. My hickory 4 inch board floors were installed in december 2005 in a brand new home the boards are not laying completely flat.

Hardwood floor is designed to stand all sorts of moisture from high humidity to low humidity. The light reflected by the. Many homeowners like this approach because they can save material that otherwise would go to the landfill.