Many Tennessee homeowners battle with buckling hardwood floors. Buckling means that there are ridges and waves that cause the wood to be uneven. Sometimes this is cause for attention to your crawlspace or basement environment.
Most homes in Tennessee are crawlspace or basement structure homes. The crawlspace and basement foundation has many benefits. Some of these benefits include the ability to build on sloped land, the utility lines are accessible for repairs, and termite inspections are more thorough and can be used for storage area.
Floor Buckling
U.S. Pest protects thousands of crawlspace homes in the Nashville and surrounding area from pests, termites and moisture issues. If your floors are buckling, then you might have a few issues that need to be addressed. Those issues could be termites, moisture problems, or ventilation, ALL that we can find the solution for. Moisture under your home can be caused by many possible factors. Humidity during a hot summer, as Tennessee is in a humid subtropical climate, can be a factor. Water pipes that run under your home or rainwater that is resulted from flooding is another common cause.
The visible signs of moisture issues under your home include:
- Buckling – This is an extreme reaction to moisture in your hardwood floor. This is occurring usually because the floor is pulling moisture from your subfloor, lifting it several inches or more. Buckling occurs usually when there is flooding or extreme water issues under the home.
- Cupping – The edges of the board are higher than its center. Even if the wood floor is installed correctly, cupping can occur when the subfloor or crawlspace has moisture issues.
- Crowning – The center of the board is higher than its edges. This normally occurs because the moisture in the wood was present at time of sanding and finishing.
- Cracked Tile can also be a sign of the moisture under your home moving the subfloor away from the tile.
The invisible signs of moisture issues under your home include:
- A musty smell because of the moist conditions under your home. Usually this smell is a result of inadequate air flow and the need for proper protection from the ground. You might even have a leak that is going undetected.
- Kids and the elderly that seem to get respiratory issues throughout the year are not always caused by the living environment but most definitely can contribute to their health issues.
- Fungus is present on the wood underneath your home. When is the last time you had a thorough inspection?
A thorough inspection of your crawlspace or basement conditions include the following:
- An intense visual inspection of the entire crawlspace
- Moisture readings of at-least 5 different areas. (Acceptable moisture readings are between 8-12%, anything above 18% needs to be addressed)
- An intense probing of the subfloor and joists to inspect for wood rot, decay or fungi as well as termites.
- A humidity reading of the crawlspace.
U.S. Pest Solutions
U.S. Pest controls moisture under homes because we offer solutions that help people lead better lives. Our solutions include protection from termites, fungus, wood rots, and insects attracted to the moisture. It is very important to the health and property to maintain your crawlspace and basement conditions. If you see any buckling or signs of moisture feel free to contact us for a free inspection.