Summer humidity can be surprisingly tough on hardwood floors. As temperatures rise and moisture levels fluctuate, wood naturally expands and contracts, which can lead to cupping, buckling, gaps, and other frustrating flooring issues. Unfortunately, many homeowners don’t notice the damage until it becomes difficult (and expensive) to repair.
The good news is that most summer flooring problems are preventable with proper hardwood maintenance. By understanding how heat and humidity affect wood, you can take simple steps to protect your floors and keep them looking beautiful all season long.
How Summer Affects Hardwood Flooring
Summer comes with its own set of challenges for your hardwood floors. Changes in temperature and humidity (both indoor and outdoor) can take their toll on hardwood…or reveal serious issues with its installation. Without proper hardwood maintenance throughout the year, you may notice cupping, bucklings, gaps, and other issues once summer arrives.
Before we explain how to prevent these undesirable summer effects, let’s cover why these changes can happen in the first place.
Humidity and Temperature Changes
The main culprit is always moisture; specifically, how moisture is affected by changing humidity and temperature levels. Since wood is a natural material, it is very sensitive to moisture—expanding when exposed to extra moisture and contracting when moisture evaporates into the air.
When humidity levels are high, hardwood absorbs moisture from the air and starts to swell. This can cause the hardwood to buckle. Alternatively, when humidity levels drop too low, the hardwood dehydrates and can even crack as a result.
Summer can be particularly tough on hardwood. Hardwood expands during the hottest hours of the day, but then contracts when temperatures cool in the evenings. Eventually, you’ll start to see that your floors are warped and uneven.
No Acclimatization
Many homeowners don’t realize that their floors need to acclimate prior to installation. Hardwood needs at least 3 days (and sometimes as many as 14 days) to adapt to indoor humidity levels and your local climate. Exactly how many days depends on the wood type, plank size, and manufacturer.
In order to acclimatize, wood floors should be stored in the same conditions as where it will be installed. This allows the moisture in the wood to reach equilibrium with the surrounding air. The right amount of moisture will be absorbed or evaporated, thus stabilising the wood. After installation, it won’t shrink or expand because of moisture imbalance.
Summer flooring that is not acclimatized is far more likely to cup or buckle.
Improper Installation
Poor installation can also cause flooring problems. Even with acclimation, humidity fluctuations will always cause wood floors to expand and contract a little. Therefore, it is essential to install flooring so that it can move during these changes. Planks need to be installed with the right size fasteners and with adequate expansion gaps around the perimeter of the floor to prevent buckling.
Additionally, steps need to be taken during installation to prevent the floor from absorbing excessive moisture. Depending on your home, a vapour retarder may need to be installed underneath the floor to manage moisture levels.
How to Know if Your Floors Are Cupping
- Visible cupping: Floorboards warp so that the edges are higher than the centre.
- Uneven surface texture: Some parts of your floor feel higher or lower than others.
- Buckling: Floorboards detach from the subfloor and lift upwards.
- Gaps: Gaps form between floorboards as they warp and shift.
- Moisture damage: You may see other signs of water damage, like staining and discolouration.
Hardwood Maintenance: Preventing Cupping, Buckling, and Gaps
Control Indoor Humidity Levels
One of the best ways to protect your flooring in summer is to control your home’s indoor humidity levels. Investing in a dehumidifier will allow you to keep humidity levels within the recommended range (30% to 50%) no matter what the weather is doing. You should also set your air conditioner to keep the indoor air dry as it runs.
No Wet Mopping
You want to keep moisture away from your floors. This means absolutely no wet mopping! Water will seep into the boards, priming them for swelling, cupping, and buckling in summer’s high temperatures. Instead of wet mopping, use a dry mop or a vacuum.
Keep Floors Dry and Clean
Hardwood maintenance involves keeping your floors clean and dry. As we already covered, the best wood care doesn’t use water. You should be dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping exclusively with a hardwood-specific spray cleaner. Make sure that you clean any spills immediately, completely, and quickly.
The best wood care routine looks like this: daily dusting and sweeping, vacuuming with the hard floor settings (so the beater bar doesn’t touch the floor), and using a hardwood floor cleaner weekly.
Watch for Leaks
No one wants leaks in their home. They’re a world of trouble, especially for hardwood floors. Be on the lookout for leaks from appliances, plumbing, and windows that can lead to excessive moisture in the air.
Place Rugs and Mats
Rugs and mats are a great way to care for your wood floors. They prevent dirt and moisture from being tracked in, and help protect flooring from wear and damage. In addition to placing these in high-traffic areas, it’s a good idea to put them underneath furniture. Placing furniture directly on top of your wood floors can cause them to buckle from the weight.
Repairing Summer Flooring Damage
- Eliminate the source of excess moisture (such as high humidity, leaking appliances, damp basements, potted plants, etc.).
- Allow the wood to dry naturally and entirely. In many cases, the wood is not permanently warped or damaged and will return to its original shape once moisture levels go back to normal.
- If the wood has not flattened after drying fully, you can sand its surface to make it level again. But don’t remove too much material since this can compromise the flooring’s structural integrity.
- After sanding, you must refinish the floor to protect it from future moisture damage.
Hardwood Flooring From Revival Flooring
Hardwood flooring is a beautiful addition to your home. However, proper installation and hardwood maintenance is crucial. Fortunately, we’re here to help. Revival Flooring offers expert guidance, high-quality materials, and refinishing services.
We do hardwood floor installations, but we also support homeowners who want to take the DIY approach. You can purchase unfinished hardwood and supplies from Revival Flooring, and have any installation or finishing questions answered by our team.
To learn more about our professional hardwood finishing services, call Revival Flooring at 705-990-0548 or contact us here.