Someone recently posted a post regarding 1/4 inch gaps in a hardwood floor. Rather than hijack that thread I will start one here. Obviously the previous poster had a massive moisture issue. In his case the mositure was likely present before install and the floor shrunk.
At any rate. Is installing a hardwood floor over a crawlspace risky? I am thinking about a situation where I KNOW ground water can be very high. Some crawlspaces in this area get soupy under the plastic ground cover in the crawlspace and some even flood with inches of water. Now, some of this is due to very poor site location and lack of perimeter drains.
So if one were to build in this area on as well a drained site as possible (still likely high ground water) and installl a preimeter drain, is it still risky to have a wood floor on the main floor? Would a “total” encapsolation of the crawlspace eliminate or help reduce the risk? What moisture level would I be looking to maintain in the crawlspace to improve my odds of more or less a problem free floor.
Thoughts?
Thanks.
Replies
conditioned crawlspace
Perimeter drain certainly. I'd like to see a concrete floor with perimeter drain and sump. In addition hot air supplies and cold air returns so the floor above has the same conditioned air as below. Otherwise, you need to vent the space, insulate the floor, and have a higher likelyhood for moisture problems trapped between the floor and the unheated crawlspace. I live in a neighborhood of homes built on a filled swamp/ bog. The water problems are never ending.
Yeah, it's risky
Moisture is probably the most common cause of failure in hardwood floors. Check out Charlie Peterson's book on Installing Hardwood Flooring (Full disclosure: It's a Taunton book, and I work for them. Also, I co-wrote the book and make a buck or so on each sale). It's an expensive book, but it's way cheaper than doing the floor wrong. He gets into the mechanics of moisture and flooring in astounding detail. There are ways to deal with the issues.
First, do everything you can to mitigate the moisture in the crawlspace. That's just something you should do anyway for the health of the building and of its occupants. Next, install the flooring over a vapor retarder. Charlie talks about a liquid applied vapor retarder that seems really slick. Finally, use quarter-sawn flooring to minimize movement.
I would ask / inquire/ study the potential for using that great to the weather product that you don't think worth the extra cost. Not that it would be the ticket, but might be worth the consideration.
Advantech
Calvin, don't be so sensitive
Calvin, I never said Adventec was not worth the extra cost. I only asked if it was, and for the most part the answer I got from folk was they did not know. Now I guess you are suggesting, wihtout saying so, that Adventec helps with hardwood floors. Ok.
You guess and assume..........sometimes too much
I said study and look closely at and maybe even ask advantech.
got it?
So ...
So is that a yes it is worth it or an no? I said no one knew. So is your non anwser a yes, a no, or ask someone else which is ... a .... non-answer. And now, you suggest .. sort of kind of , with out saying Adventec is worth it or not (I assume because you have little experience with it and therefore suggest I ask someone else) that it might be a good idea under hardwood floors, but since you don't use it and can't tell .... go ask someone else. Ok, I get it.
Your answer is ... maybe.
You are hoot Calvin. Do you like to type?
LOL
All is cool, don't misunderstand.
You're getting the hang of it.
I don't mind typing.
I try to spell the words correctly so someone might be able to understand.
You can't see my face-so you might not get the inflection I try to convey.
However, you already knew I never used it.
I have seen the tests provided by the manufacturer at trade shows and it does look like a product I'd use if I built again-remodeling and lack of a supplier (by now there might be) in this area pretty much precludes that.
But what I did say, and you might have picked up on it, was to take some time and study/ask/decide if it'll help you.
Otherwise, there's moisture "padding" from the flooring manufacturers for at least the Kaars products. This is an overlapping thin peel and stick to seal one run to another. Meant for basement slabs and other potential moisture conditions.
If you are building over a river-I'd certainly either divert, remove, plan for it and maybe not put hardwood (engineered or solid or fake) on that first floor.
Mike Smith did a build recently (you can find it at BTC) where the high water table (on an island) was planned for-(with a short basement/TALL crawl). Removal of the water under the slab seems to be providing a dry space and there's hardwood above.
You want a link or can you find it?
I find that
not too many peopll are wort my tim when itt comes to spelllcheck. It is a personal thin.
I might
Use spell check for the President of teh U.S. ...... Wll, not this one.
Or maybe for my newspaper boy.
f course I know
tha you don't mind typing as if you all you have to say is "I dont' know, never used it" in eight hondred words or less you type it. LOL
YOu see if my non-experience were summed up as above I would have either not typed anything or typed
"I d'nt knew" PERIOD LOL
More to your point......
Maybe I shouldn't even bother?
Hey Calvin
When you have something to say, your great.
so do........
Did you look at Mike Smiths thread?
Here..........
in case you don't have time to look.
MikeSmithHighWaterTableLink