Climate Control & Moisture

Acclimating Hardwood Floors Cold Weather and Cracking Tools of the Trade: Moisture Meters Why do your wood floors gap in the winter?

Installation & Maintenance

How Many Times Can You Sand and Refinish an Engineered Wood Floor? Changing the Color of Your Hardwood Floors Matching New Hardwood Floors to Existing Ones Eliminating Common Installation Mistakes How Not to Install Unfinished Engineered Hardwood Floors Sound Control in Multi-Family Units Oil-Based vs. Water-Based Polyurethane Floor Finish Evaluating Jobsite Before Installation Routine Maintenance for Hardwood Floors Dealing with Spills and Stains

Types of Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood vs. Vinyl Product Focus: New Heart Pine Product Focus: Southern Yellow Pine The Shortage and Rising Price of White Oak Red Oak vs. White Oak Product Spotlight: Character Red Oak The Differences Between Northern Oak, Southern Oak, and Appalachian Oak Yellow Pine vs. Heart Pine vs. Old Growth Heart Pine Unfinished or Prefinished: What Should I Choose? Plain Sawn vs. European Live Sawn Lumber Plain Sawn vs. Quarter Sawn vs. Rift Sawn Lumber Why Hard Maple is the Best Choice for Gym Floors Exotic Hardwood Flooring Engineered Hardwood European White Oak: Historic but Fresh Design Trend

Trends & Techniques

Wide-Plank Engineered Wood Flooring Pairs Style and Function Using Hardwood Flooring for Walls and Ceilings Border Dos and Don’ts for Pattern Designs Distressing Hardwood Floors Skip-sawn Prefinished Hardwood Flooring Creating Smooth Transitions Between Hardwood Flooring Species Custom Treatment Options for Unfinished Flooring Long-Length Boards Are Here to Stay More Long-Length Wood Flooring Options Available Today Hardwood Flooring Outdoors: Decking Chevron vs. Herringbone: Knowing the Difference

Hardwood Hacks The Rise of the Reclaimed Hardwood Floor The Lacey Act and its Impact Thinking Naturally About Cupping

Product Troubleshooting

Buckling Crowning Face-Checking Cupping

Crowning

Crowning occurs when the center of the pieces of flooring appears to be higher than the edges.

Cause

Although it is possible that excess moisture could be the culprit, it is usually caused by a floor that was previously cupped and was sanded before the moisture content had a chance to return to normal levels. Sanding too quickly removed the raised edges. When the boards eventually dried, their edges were actually lower than the center.
Excessive drying from underneath can create a moisture imbalance that results in crowning.

Cure

First, ascertain if the moisture content in the subfloor and floor has stabilized and returned to normal levels. Also, establish if all of the crowning from the original cupped condition has occurred. After the floor has stabilized, resand, and refinish.