We closed Oct. 14. In freshening the place it was noted that the two-year-old solid oak floors showed some curl indicating dampness.
How does one begin to evaluate this? Are there experts? Are there potential solutions? This cannot be an uncommon problem at the Shore. The water table must be five feet.
I asked the builder doing the refreshing to examine the underside of the floor, the insulation, and the joists. Any advice other than to hope for good weather?
Answer: It's the nature of life at the beach, and builders try to keep moisture problems at bay, so to speak, by using construction methods designed for it.
The vapor barrier against the floor, code or no, doesn't guarantee that the moisture won't seep up into the internal perimeter wall, and that's where moisture penetration usually occurs (the insulation was damp, as the inspector pointed out).
The moisture intruding through the seams of the vapor barrier and the walls would cause the oak to curl over time (the hurricane may be just the event that can be pointed to).
You really shouldn't keep damp insulation in the walls, and I hope the builder is replacing it. You might have insulation and flooring contractors look at the situation to determine whether it is chronic or not.
Solutions? I'd ask around the neighborhood to see if others have experienced similar problems and found solutions, or at least qualified experts who were able to troubleshoot them.
Q: I just read one of your tips in which the reader wanted to know about using red paint.
You said, "You will probably need two coats, but you might get a chalk-like mark if you brush up against it, as I did with the same color in our bedroom. Think about another color."
What's the best way to get rid of those chalk-like marks without making it worse?
