• Squeaky Floor
• Discoloration
• Dents, Indentations, Surface Scratches or Gouges
• Excessive or Early Wear
• Cupping, Shrinkage and Gaps
• Working with Humidity Controls
• Gaps and Separations Between Boards
• Cupping and Crowning

1. Squeaky Floor
Problem: A squeaky, noisy floor.
Probable Cause: Integrity of the subfloor is poor, improper nailing of floorboards or it has been subjected to excessive moisture and/or drying.
Solution: To quickly rectify the problem, contact a qualified hardwood floor installer or your nearest hardwood flooring dealer, to determine the best way to solve the problem.
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2. Discoloration
Problem: Flooring is changing color over time; it's yellowing, darkening, etc. You moved your area rug and underneath it's a different color.
Probable Cause: U.V. rays entering your home through windows, patio doors, and skylights will over time change (modify) the color of your floor. This is especially common when moving area rugs and low-lying furniture. This is a natural occurrence and is common in the flooring industry.
Solution: Minimize the amount of sunlight coming in direct contact with the floor. Remove and rotate area rugs and furniture occasionally. This will allow the rest of the floor to even out over time.
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3. Dents, Indentations, Surface Scratches or Gouges
Problem: Dents, indentations, surface scratches and gouges.
Probable Cause: High heels, chair legs, moving of furniture or appliances without protecting the floor, pets (particularly dog toenails), debris under hard shoe soles and poor maintenance.
Solution: Use soft protective pads under all furniture and chairs. Avoid wearing high heels on the hardwood floor. Clip dog nails. Maintain floor by sweeping or mopping on a regular basis with a hardwood floor cleaner. Replace or repair any damaged or defected floor boards. Resurface.
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4. Excessive or Early Wear
Problem: Excessive or early wear.
Probable Cause: Improper maintenance and/or protection. Too much localized foot traffic.
Solution: Maintain floor by vacuuming and removing debris on a regular basis. Use felt pads under all furniture. Use protection in front of kitchen sink and working area. Touch up repairs immediately.
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5. Cupping, Shrinkage and Gaps
Problem: Gapping and extensive shrinkage.
Probable Cause: Moisture imbalance is the only cause. The materials were manufactured flat and were flat when installed. Note: If your hardwood floor was flat when installed, the only way it will move is by having too much or too little moisture in the air.

Common moisture sources and their corrections are:
• Airborne (Relative humidity) exceeding 55% in the home - dehumidify airspace.
• Wet basements - ventilate and dehumidify.
• Crawlspaces - add ventilation on a timer; modify lot topography, proper drainage of moisture away from the home.
• Home is dry (gapping) - add a humidifier to your furnace; get the relative humidity between 45 and 50%.
Solution: Allow time for the correction to take effect, let the floor improve on its own.
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Working with Humidity Controls

A homeowner who chooses hardwood flooring is making an investment in a floor that will last 40 years or more, and he or she should protect that investment by installing humidity controls - a tool that helps the floor maintain a beautiful, trouble-free appearance.
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Gaps and Separations Between Boards

Nearly every floor endures some separation between boards. In winter, when homes are heated and the air is dry, wood flooring gives up some of its moisture and therefore shrinks. When that happens, thin gaps appear. This is normal, and homeowners should be forewarned of this. It is acceptable, and customers should not be calling the installers at the first sign of gaps. Once the indoor environment regains moisture, most of these gaps will close up. Gaps in the winter - in the drier months - may easily develop to the thickness of a dime (1/32") for solid 2-1/4" wide strip oak floors. Floors with light-stained woods and naturally light woods like maple tend to show gaps more than darker, wood-tone finished floors. The cure for gaps? Homeowners should add moisture to the air during dry periods. It's their choice live with the gaps and wait until spring, or else add humidity by opening the dishwasher after a rinse cycle, switching off the bathroom fan or hanging laundry to dry in the basement by the furnace. Better yet, install a humidifier in the furnace, or an exterior air vent for the furnace burner.
Published by the National Wood Flooring Association (Water and Wood - How moisture affects wood floors).
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Cupping and Crowning

"Cupping and crowning" are common complaints that develop with high humidity. Both problems occur across the width of the flooring material.

Cupping is when the edges of a board are high and its center is lower. It can occur after water spills on to the floor and is absorbed by the wood, but high humidity is more often the cause. If the wood expands significantly, compression can result as the boards are crushed together, deforming the boards at the edges.

Cupping is caused by a moisture imbalance through the thickness of the wood: The wood is wetter on the bottom of the board than on the top.

The first step in repairing a cupped floor is to identify and eliminate the moisture source. In the kitchen, it may be a leak from the dishwasher or icemaker. From the outdoors, it might be the terrain of the lot, with rain runoff not moving away from the house and foundation. Indoors, the humidity may be causing excess moisture in the basement, which migrates up into the subfloor and from there into the wood flooring.

Once the source of the moisture is controlled, cupping can usually be cured. The floor may improve on its own as it dries out over time. Other times, fans may be needed to speed the drying process. Once the moisture content has stabilized, the floor can be reassessed. Choices may be to do nothing at all, to recoat the floor or to sand and refinish the floor. However, nothing should be done until the moisture-meter readings indicate the floor is thoroughly dried.

Crowning is the opposite of cupping: The center of a board is higher than the edges. Moisture imbalance is sometimes the cause of crowning if excessive moisture is introduced on the top of the floor, perhaps from water used in maintenance or plumbing leaks from an overhead sprinkler system. However, a common cause is that the floor was previously cupped, but was sanded at the wrong time - before the moisture content returned to normal and the board flattened on its own.

It should be noted that some slight cupping and crowning may occur naturally, and should be tolerated: The bark side of lumber shrinks and swells more than the side closest to the center of the tree. Largely seasonal in occurrence, it's common in wider planks. It's appearance can be minimized by using a beveled-edge flooring product with a satin finish, rather than square-edge flooring with a high gloss finish.
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