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Educational
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Article
As the weather (hopefully) gets hotter over summer, you may be spending most of your time outdoors, but that’s no excuse to neglect your hardwood flooring!
‘Cupping’ is a major risk to hardwood floors during the humid summer months. The change in moisture levels in the air can cause the edges of individual flooring boards to rise up, or cup, creating a concave. If you have solid wooden floors, they are likely to cup due to increased air moisture, whilst engineered wooden floors cup when moisture levels are reduced. It’s important to know what type of hardwood you have so you know what weather changes to prepare for.
Cupping can happen as within as little as a few days, so make sure you know how to best avoid it! If you take pride in your hardwood flooring, or want to get your money’s worth and keep it looking its best for longer, then here are our top tips for looking after your hardwood floor this summer.
Secure your floorboards
To prevent the concaving effects of cupping as wood expands and retracts, ensure your hardwood floor is properly fitted and securely fastened. At International Timber we also offer a range of treatment options to increase the durability of your timber.
Install a dehumidifier/air-conditioning
Installing a home humidifier to control the moisture levels in your home is a great way to protect your hardwood floor from cupping. Humidifiers work alongside your heating, ventilation and air conditioning to prevent changes in air moisture levels that can affect your floors. If you’re past the stage of prevention and your hardwood has already cupped, you may be able to save it by using a dehumidifier to dry out the floor and remove the source of the moisture.
Be careful when mopping
Avoid using a wet/damp mop on your hardwood floors when cleaning. You may think summer mopping means fast-drying, however high humidity in summer can cause water to take longer to evaporate, causing your hardwood floor to absorb more water.
Stay ventilated
If your hardwood floors are fitted in your kitchen or bathroom, or anywhere else you have an extractor fan, run your vents as much as possible when cooking or showering to protect your floor from cupping due to changes in moisture levels.
And that’s it!
Despite the risks of cupping, summer is commonly referenced as the perfect time to have a hardwood floor fitted. So, if you or someone you know is interested in having a hardwood floor, do get in touch and browse our range of timber! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter to keep up to date on all the latest timber news!