What Causes Hardwood Floors To Warp?

Humidity and moisture are the primary causes of warped hardwood. Sometimes water damage can involve a leak or another incident you're not even aware of. One spill usually isn't enough to cause your floor to warp. But if you don't catch it, even an ice cube left on the floor can cause your planks to lift and deform.

Wood Floor Buckling Causes

Hardwood can become bent or twisted out of shape because of moisture throughout the home or changes in outdoor weather conditions. Consider some of these wood floor buckling causes so you can prevent them from damaging your floors:

Consistent water on the floorboards

Water is hardwood flooring’s worst enemy. Even though you should clean up spills immediately to prevent damage, one spill isn’t going to hurt your hardwood floors enough for them to buckle. Instead, you should look for sources of consistent moisture, such as drips or leaks. Most damage occurs when floors are consistently exposed to water.

Changes in temperature

Wood naturally expands in the hot humidity and contracts in the cold. If you live in an area with extreme temperatures, you might notice buckling wood floors in the summer. Try to maintain a healthy relative humidity in your home to prevent damage from the hot, sticky weather.

Moist wood subfloors

Find the moisture content (MC) of your wood subfloors before installing hardwood flooring. You or the floor installer should test for water throughout your subfloors with a wood moisture meter. If the MC is too high to install your flooring, find the moisture source and fix it before it spreads.

Concrete subfloors

Like wood subfloors, foundations made from concrete are also prone to moisture accumulation. If the concrete slab hasn’t dried properly, you can almost be sure that your wood flooring will warp on top of it.

Water leaks

Besides moisture from below your flooring, you should also look at the sources of moisture around your hardwood floors. If you have leaking appliances, condensation or groundwater intrusion, water can get between the subfloor and flooring and cause warped floorboards.

Poor installation

If you notice water damage near a window or door, the cause might be an improper installation of these openings. During inclement weather, heavy rainfall or snow can allow moisture to seep in through the cracks of your home’s doors and windows. In particular, older homes are more susceptible to water coming in from the outside because of unwanted gaps.