Good afternoon, I had some engineered wooden flooring installed around 2 years ago and over the past year signs of water damage have been appearing between the horizontal joints between the planks. Pics here- http://s1235.photobucket.com/user/stupidtom334/media/floor 2.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0 and http://s1235.photobucket.com/user/stupidtom334/media/floor 1.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1 It’s a floating tongue and groove floor, laid on top of an underlay which is supposed to be damp proof, which was laid on top of wooden floor boards. When we removed the old floor prior to installing this one, there were no signs of damp. Unfortunately, I’m not sure what type of finish the wooden flooring has- I have emailed the supplied to try to find out. This flooring covers the whole of the downstairs of my house apart from the kitchen. The kitchen and dining room are open plan and the damage is noticeably worse in the dining room, which makes me think that perhaps it is humidity in the air causing the problem (since the kitchen and dining room are often quite humid due to steam from cooking etc.). I know it’s probably hard to tell, but is it likely this is being caused by water penetrating from beneath the flooring or from moisture in the air? What can I do to try to work out the cause of the problem? What is the best way restoring the flooring, or is it easier to remove it and install a new one? Thanks you
How are you cleaning the floor? Can you get hold of a decent moisture meter and a hygrometer to check the levels of the flooring and the air?
If that was moisture coming from beneath, you'd likely be seeing other associated problems i.e. cupping. It's still worth considering though. Have you altered the property, extension perhaps? You could lift a few boards, and look for signs of moisture i.e. mould, damp smells etc. You could purchase a pin moisture meter and try to ascertain if the floorboards are carrying excessive moisture. A build up of moisture from below (enough, to show through to the joins), would undoubtedly cause the floor to expand. Check the expansion gaps. If they have closed up now, come summer the floor will likely pop up. On the face of it, it does look like a moisture issue from above. Too much water when cleaning may well be the culprit. Alternatively, If the property has a high air humidity content, this will raise the dew point, so when the temperature drops at night, the excessive moisture in the air could be settling on the floor. As Trimmer suggests, get yourself a 'digital hygrometer' to monitor the temp and moisture content in the air. Typically, depending where you live, you'd want to see a stable air humidity of between 45 and 55% at a temp of around 18 degrees. If alls good, it's very likely too much water when cleaning (over time).
Thank you very much for the replies. I must have only mopped the floor two or three times since it was installed (makes me sound like a right tramp, but it looks clean) using a pretty much dry mop so I would be surprised if it’s moisture from cleaning. There is no sign of water damage apart from the discolouration around the joints and the expansion gaps are still there as far as I can tell. I’ll get hold of a digital hygrometer and moisture meter and hopefully that will confirm it’s the air humidity causing the problem. Is it going to be possible to restore the floor or would it be easier to get a new one Thanks.
I'm based in the Wirral. I did have a look in the find a fitter section and there is someone fairly local but I don't think I can afford to pay for any work doing at the moment so I don't want to waste their time. I have received a digital hygrometer and it's showing humidity at around 55% normally and then up to 75% when I cook (some meals). Is this kind of humidity likley to be the cause of the damage? Thanks
