Advice needed on hardwood flooring!

[ep_raleigh_nc]

Advice needed on hardwood flooring.

My wife and I built a home in Aug. ’03. On our first floor, we have approx. 1,000 sq/ft of hardwood flooring (not the pre-finished type).

Our problem is that the floors have become beveled/cupped/warped, and not just in specific areas, but over the general area of the hardwood flooring.

I would like to try to fix this problem without replacement of the flooring.

A few questions that I have:
• What causes this cupping?
• Is it possible to fix the problem by sanding the flooring down until level, and then refinish?
• Could the outside vents on the foundation of the home cause/contribute to the problem by affecting the level of moisture under the house? Should they be closed or open?

Thanks in advance for any comments/suggestions!

Eric

[HayZee518]

Do you have a de-humidifier in the basement? If not - invest in one. Do you know if there is a vapor barrier between the subfloor and the finish floor? Is there insulation between the joists? The cupping is from poorely seasoned hardwood. It is absorbing moisture. Wait a few years before you sand the floor - take care of the moisture problem before you refinish and sand the floor else you'll be looking at the same problem on a few years.