Dehumidifier Ruin Wood Floors

I recently had a call asking whether a dehumidifier installed in a crawl space can over dry the crawl space and cause problems with a hardwood floor.

Dehumidifier ruin wood floors. A dehumidifier is great for humidity in the air but wet warped floors need a more direct and aggressive approach to avoid lasting damage. But before you get overly concerned about dehumidifying crawl spaces let me explain the realities. Therefore the wood weakens making your hardwood floor more brittle and increasing the likelihood of damage or splintering. The humidity levels in your home are extremely important for maintaining your wood floors because moisture loss causes wood to shrink and moisture absorption causes wood to swell.

The cupping could continue to worsen and create gaps between the boards. How high and low humidity can ruin your wood floors wood is one of the most beautiful materials you can use for flooring and it s also one of the most durable. Besides the visible warping of your hardwood floorboards the floor could fail. If the indoor relative humidity is above 60 you should use an air conditioner to dry out the air.

While most hvac humidifiers do not saturate the air with enough water to damage your hardwood floors there is such a thing as too much moisture. A buckled floor with only minor damage can sometimes be repaired simply by removing the excess moisture but serious buckling will necessitate replacing the hardwood boards. If you see an area with minor buckling and or other slight signs of water damage it won t hurt to take the easy way out first and try this quick and simple repair. Depending on how much moisture and how long the hardwood floor is exposed to it it can do irreparable damage.

Once humidity levels rise again the hardwood floor will expand and most gaps will close up again. One of those special considerations is your home s relative humidity level. That said a hickory wood floor will expand and shrink more than a red oak floor with humidity swings. 50 may be a terrible number for your university test grades but it s the perfect humidity level for your floors.

What happens if cupping doesn t get fixed. Hardwood floors are a classic design choice with several practical benefits but despite the aesthetic appeal wood flooring is incredibly vulnerable to water damage leaky roofs busted pipes overflowed toilets and other sources of sudden floods can turn gorgeous wood planking into a warped mold prone mess in just days. Splits checks when the wood is faced with extreme conditions it can be stressed beyond its limitations. If your floor is so bad that it needs repairs it is best to do them in the spring.

My answer was yes technically you could over dry a crawl space.