How To Flatten Cupped Wood Floors

Here s how i do it.

How to flatten cupped wood floors.

Published by fci bnp media. Lay wood planks in a dry area of the garage or shed. Nwfa tip sheet tthe first step of remediating a cupped floor is to determine why the floor cupped. This will cause the fibers to expand and the board will start to flatten.

Change the sanding disc as soon as it begins. Always dry spills thoroughly and routinely check wood floor areas around sinks dishwashers bathtubs and other areas more likely to have leaks or spills. To get the board to flatten back out you will need to dampen the inside of the cup the side where the fibers are dryer tighter. Lay it onto dry concrete.

To fix a floor with crowning you must find and correct the issue that is causing excessive moisture which can include leaks wet slabs or improper hvac usage. At this stage you should consider sanding the cupped portion of the floor. After sanding the floor is usually refinished to restore its sheen. Sanding a cupped floor flat before it is brought to a normal mc can eventually result in a crowned floor convex surface once the drying process is complete.

Avoid placing the wood on grass or a dirt surface. Dry the warped wood with old towels. Sanding can help flatten the raised floor surface and bring it back to normal. Sometimes i even leave a wet cloth on top of the board for good measure.

To do this we usually use a damp cloth and evenly wet the one side you can also use a spray bottle. Make sure to dry them thoroughly after mopping. If you live in a place with humid summers you may just need to run it seasonally to keep your wood floors in top shape year round. The key is controlling the climate in your home keeping it as consistent as possible.

In the latter case a cupped floor was sanded flat but once the moisture levels return to an acceptable level the edges of the plank were sanded down below the center. Use water sparingly when mopping hardwood floors and don t mop them too often. Fcidigital may june 2011 how to remediate a cupped wood floor. Wet floors should not be sanded flat until the drying process is completed.

There are basically three causes for a floor to cup. There are many types of deep cleaning products available for hardwood floors but check with your manufacturer s instructions to make sure that the product you re using is the correct one. Cupping in engineered wood floors. Work the machine with the grain of the wood to remove the top layer of finish as well as to sand down the edges along each plank caused by the cupping.

1 wet down the concave side with a healthy amount of water. Mickey moore 0000 00 00 00 00 00. A wide mildly cupped board can easily be flattened with a little tlc. At this point the floor may now be ruined and need to be replaced.