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These are all seasonal problems that can occur on your wood flooring due to moisture or humidity.

• Warping is much more harmful than cupping and can cause flooring disfigurement. This happens due to standing water or unnoticed leaks.
• Crowning is the exact opposite situation of cupping, as the centre is higher than the edges. It happens if the floor is left wet for too long or has too high humidity for too long.
• Buckling is when the wood floor starts to drift away from the sub-floor. This is an extreme reaction to moisture but it does not occur very frequently.

There are a few things you can do to reduce the chances of cupping on your solid hardwood floor.

• Always choose acclimatized hardwood flooring when planning an installation. Make sure that you use the native wood from a manufacturer so that it is used to the atmosphere and can guard against cupping throughout the year.
• Wood is affected by seasonal change and expands and retracts accordingly. In order to avoid this, you need to utilize the elasticity of the material and install and fasten them properly.
• Whole-home humidifiers are perfect for achieving a level of optimal humidity in your home. Install one to control the moisture content (MC) of the entire house all year round.
• While cleaning your hardwood flooring, make sure to use as little water as possible, especially in the summer. Because of the high level of humidity, water tends to evaporate much slower at this time, causing your floor to absorb it.
• If you have hardwood flooring in the high-moisture areas of your home, like the kitchen and the bathroom, run the stove vents or bathroom vents frequently while cooking or taking a shower to let the excess moisture out.

Personally, we would strongly advise against it. Even though there have been instances where solid wood flooring was successfully installed over concrete slabs, the process is complex. Firstly, a plastic barrier is needed to be set over the slab and the seams need to be taped. Then you would need a wood subfloor which is moisture-resistant, for example, marine plywood, to be placed on top of the plastic layer. Lastly, the flooring is attached to the subfloor.

The main reason we do not recommend this is because doing so may void the warranty of your product.

Modern engineered hardwood floors are suitable for this. Manufacturers will tell you to avoid using solid wood hardwood flooring over a slab, but engineered planks can be glued down directly. They can also be attached using a tongue-and-groove method.

A. To fix any moisture-related issues related to your wood floor installation. First, find out if there are any leaks. Mop the excessive water and let the floor dry before sanding or refinishing. Minor warping and cupping can be fixed by balancing the humidity in your room, especially during summer. Use a dehumidifier to pull the moisture out of the air. For more information on care and upkeep against humidity, read here.