Moved into a new house about six month ago and the hardwood floor is beginning to cup. Called the floor man to inspect and he recommended that we lay a vapor barrior on the ground under the house. This is to keep ground moisture from getting into the house. The installers used 60lb felt as a moisture barrior on the subfloor before instillation, however the floor man felt that the barrior may also be needed. Then we will wait a time to see if the flooring will lay flat again before sanding is concidered.
Is the vapor barrior a good idea? My concern is the trapped moisture.
If anyone has had experence with a vapor barrior of this type let me know how it works.
jc
Replies
>>Is the vapor barrior a good idea?
Yes.
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Definitely install a polyethylene vapor barrier on the ground in your crawl space. It will have more benefits than just controlling moisture in your hardwood floor. Try to get 100% coverage. BTW - what state/providence/etc do you live in?
Bro,
Problem is that you are getting moisture in the crawl space in the first place. Just getting a visquene barrier to seal this space is going to be nearly impossible, especiallly with all those piers and posts. Find where the H2O is coming from and consider redirecting it before it gets under the house.
I agree with surferic that channeling water away from the house is important, but getting the vapor barrier under there shouldn't be all that hard and shouldn't be left out. It'll take a few days, but worth the effort.
One the ones I do now, I bring the plastic about a foot up the parameter wall, glue with polyurethane caulk, or construction adhesive. Around the post and supports, you just have to do a little piece work with the plastic, and again glue it all together with the poly caulk, although I have heard tyvec tape recommended for this also. I try to make an airtight barrier between the ground and the crawspace.
The house will smell better, be easier to heat and cool, less prone to mold problems.
st
housedktr:
Thank you for your advise on the vapor barrior.
jc
Three or four issues ago, there was an article about doing this very thing. The ground is always going to be more damp than the house should be. The plastic will keep it down. Even if you don't have a perfect seal, it will reduce the RH in that crawl space and make a difference.
I had a similar situation for a client. Before laying the wood floor, we placed the plastic and taped the edges. The concrete walls were still sweating some too, so we installed a de-humidifier for them, then laid the flooring.
It was fine for about three years, then they had a renter in for a year while they went out of country. 'Somebody' turned the de-humnidifier off and unplugged it. When they moved back in, the flooring was sarting to cup. This was with tarpaper under the flooring.
You mentioned trapped water vapours? you would be keeping the moisture down so the RH would be less than now. What would be 'trapped' and where.
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I understand what everyone is saying, but I can see the concern here. He will have a vapor barrier in the crawlspace, and a vapor barrier on top of the subfloor. If the crawlspace is colder than the room above you will have heat transferring to the cold along with condensation. Eventually leading to trapped moisture and a rotted floor system.
RA
I agree with you.
This will certainly be 'trapped'
if sealed so no moisture can get in, it will reach equilibrium and have no problems. It is when moisture constantly evaporates from the soil to the air and transfers to the flooring above that the cupping occours.We have extremely wet soils here and this plastic on ground has done wonders to dry thing up in many older homes where the basements were too damp and rot appearing. The ones where problems increase are where they open the basement windows in summer to 'vent' the place and let in humid summer air right off the ocean. It condenses and wets things down and feeds mold.
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