Replies

1. 
   GACC_DAllas | Dec 18, 2000 05:22am | #1

   *
   George,

   Pine 1 x 12's are well known to cup and split and warp and check....I would never think of using them as flooring. Not unless they have been sitting in the rafters of someones barn up on sticking for a couple of years. Moisture meters are fine if you want to know the moisture content of the first 32nd of the board. They can't probe deep enough to tell you what's going on inside. I think the backs of these boards should have been sealed as well before the tops were sealed. That could have a lot to do with it.

   You better go back to the builder and find out who the floor company was and start there. If they signed off on the floor, it should fall under thier waranty.

   Good luck,

   Ed. Williams

1. 
   George_Lentulo | Dec 18, 2000 06:00am | #2

   *I believe Mr. Williams has hit the nail on the head ...Sealed one side of a 1 x 12 once just to show a customer what could happen ... cupping in under 3 days.Geo.

1. 
   STEVE_LEONARD | Dec 19, 2000 06:39am | #3

   *There isn't a thing one can do to stop pine or any other wood from moving over time and yes if its nailed which one has to do then its got to give somewhere ! Don't care what moisture content was at the time of installation! its gonna change constantly through out the seasons unless you live in texas or somewhere like that! I have red birch floors that cup in summer and lay down almost flat in winter!

1. 
   L._Siders | Dec 21, 2000 04:07am | #4

   *I have been told that flooring should be acclimated to the home for a period of 3-5 weeks before it is put down. Moisture stability is what is the biggest thing here.

1. 
   J_F | Dec 22, 2000 02:43am | #5

   *Were the boards nailed down with two nails across the width? With twelve inches that is a sure way to see splits. This is why only one edge is always nailed, allowing the boards to shrink towards that side or swell away from it. As far as coating both sides, that will only reduce the tendency to cup. It will have little effect on the splitting. The wider the board the more likely either cupping or splitting will occur. That is why flooring is normally narrow.Jim Fuller

2. 
   George_DeVito | Dec 22, 2000 02:43am | #6

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   About six months ago i built acustom kitchen for a client who just added a new addition to their 120 year old house. Part of the new kitchen is in the original part of the house and the restof the kitchen is in the new addition any way the contractor doing the addition had to level the old sub floor of the existing house and bring it to grade with the new addition then he installed #2 1 x 12 t&g pine flooring after the cabinets were installed the floor finisher checked the floor for the right moisture content and finished the floor. Ishould also note that the installation of the floor was on tar paper and top nailed with box nails from a nail gun. Since then the contractor has left and the home owner has contacted me to see if i can fix the cracks in the floor i am hoping that some one could tell me what some of the possible causes are to why the floor would crack i have one theory that face nailing did not give the floor any movement with humidity changes? i hope that some one could shed some light on this gor me thank you george