WTH is happening to my floors

[mofongo]

Ok, so this started maybe 2yrs ago? This is the side of the bed, this is H’s side, and there’s some on my side, not as much.

It hasn’t really started anywhere else in the house. It’s like a small area would lighten in color, then peel. These floors were new when we moved in almost 7yrs ago. I think they are engineered hardwood.

[meanie]

Could there be water damage underneath?

[sproctopus]

My guess is something absolutely bananas that wouldn't happen to anyone else but you, my dear ❤️

(That is weird!)

[mofongo]

Oct 7, 2024 19:31:59 GMT -5 meanie said:

Could there be water damage underneath?

I really don’t think so?

[mofongo]

Oct 7, 2024 19:32:14 GMT -5 sproctopus said:

My guess is something absolutely bananas that wouldn't happen to anyone else but you, my dear ❤️

(That is weird!)

It really tracks 🤣🤣!

[gretchenindisguise]

Oct 7, 2024 19:32:14 GMT -5 sproctopus said:

My guess is something absolutely bananas that wouldn't happen to anyone else but you, my dear ❤️

(That is weird!)

Since it's yellow, it may even involve actual bananas.

Monkey living in the attic who comes out while you are at work and smushes bananas into your floors for fun?

[momin2013]

Yep I was going to say water damage. Might even be from the top - is there any chance he’s spilled water there, from like his water glass or something?

Any chance lube squirted too far?

[Deleted]

Are they Shaw engineered wooden floors by any chance? We had floor similar to that in our last house, and had whole sections start to peel, flake, splinter within a few months of being laid. The flooring company tried to convince us it was wear and tear, from like our vacuum or something? They were full of shit. Came to find out there was a class action lawsuit against Shaw. The flooring company completely redid our floors about 6 months later.

[pixy0stix]

Is it where you stand to get in and out of bed?

[mofongo]

Oct 7, 2024 19:36:37 GMT -5 momin2013 said:

Yep I was going to say water damage. Might even be from the top - is there any chance he’s spilled water there, from like his water glass or something?

Any chance lube squirted too far?

Ha! No, and it’s also a little on my side of the bed and possible a few spots in other places, but I’m in denial about that. Nothing super noticeable yet, and this started a few years ago.

[mofongo]

Oct 7, 2024 19:43:43 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Is it where you stand to get in and out of bed?

It’s on the right sides? But not necessarily where we step? Ugh, i hope that just feet woulnd’t do this:(( 😩 

[orangello]

I’m pretty sure the Wear Layer is peeling and you’re seeing the engineered/composite wood underneath. Unfortunately I don’t think there’s much to be done - possibly stain the composite the same color?

Not sure why that’s happening, but maybe call a floor specialist in for a consult.

[sofamonkey]

When getting cleaned, do they use a steam mop? I think some of the engineered flooring doesn’t do well with that, so it may be peeling away.

[mofongo]

Oct 7, 2024 19:39:56 GMT -5 @villainv said:

Are they Shaw engineered wooden floors by any chance? We had floor similar to that in our last house, and had whole sections start to peel, flake, splinter within a few months of being laid. The flooring company tried to convince us it was wear and tear, from like our vacuum or something? They were full of shit. Came to find out there was a class action lawsuit against Shaw. The flooring company completely redid our floors about 6 months later.

This is a good starting place, I don’t know, though. We have a long-term reputable flooring store here, I may see if they can come do a consult.

[mofongo]

sofamonkey - no steam mop.

[pixy0stix]

Oct 7, 2024 19:45:34 GMT -5 sofamonkey said:

When getting cleaned, do they use a steam mop? I think some of the engineered flooring doesn’t do well with that, so it may be peeling away.

I melted a spot in my vinyl plank flooring following internet fad mopping with really hot water. 🤦‍♀️

[livinitup]

Does he take shoes off at this spot? Do you on the other spot? Shoes that might have a little water on them from time to time?

I’d ask the flooring company to come in and repair.

After it was repaired, I’d add a carpet runner or carpet mat to each side to prevent it from happening again.

[mofongo]

Oct 7, 2024 20:18:11 GMT -5 livinitup said:

Does he take shoes off at this spot? Do you on the other spot? Shoes that might have a little water on them from time to time?

I’d ask the flooring company to come in and repair.

After it was repaired, I’d add a carpet runner or carpet mat to each side to prevent it from happening again.

No, we don’t take shoes off there. 

Thanks to everyone for the thoughts, laughs and advice. I’m gonna call the flooring company tomorrow and see if they can help.

[lilac05]

Do you have a humidifier sitting on the nightstand?

[jwright]

I have this exact issue and don’t have any good news. We also just installed composite floor product in 2018. It’s moisture. Is your home on a crawl space. Basically it was explained to me that because we are in a hot and humid climate the area under our house in our crawl space is constantly damp. You can by a device that reads moisture levels on Amazon and see how various spots in your house compare.

Real hardwood would be permeable so moisture could escape through your floors. However the composite wood (which we have) has a layer of plastic that is non-permeable and moisture is getting trapped. Eventually the “wood” is breaking down and peeling. We consulted with several foundation repair groups as well as our flooring contractor.

First we removed all the insulation under the house so the floor boards and beams could get more direct exposure to air circulation. The insulation traps moisture and can cause mold growth (and animals like to use it for nests). They also recommended changing our landscaping so plants were not blocking the crawl space from air flow.

The second thing they’ve recommended (which we have not done) is to encapsulate our crawl space. That is an expensive undertaking; they would completely enclose the are to keep it dry. Run a dehumidifier under the house and use a sump pump and drain line to get the water out as it builds up. We’ve also theorized about putting fans under the house as a less expensive option.

Only once we’ve hit the whole crawl scenery do we get the privilege of replacing our relatively new floors. These floors are glued down so it is difficult to replace just one without damaging its neighboring board so we’ve been told to expect about 1/4 of our first floor to be repaired over three boards.

We’ve been living with this for two years and only taken the first step because it’s all so frustrating and costly . Hopefully this isn’t what you have going on but it looks exactly the same.

[mofongo]

Oct 8, 2024 7:34:02 GMT -5 jwright said:

I have this exact issue and don’t have any good news. We also just installed composite floor product in 2018. It’s moisture. Is your home on a crawl space. Basically it was explained to me that because we are in a hot and humid climate the area under our house in our crawl space is constantly damp. You can by a device that reads moisture levels on Amazon and see how various spots in your house compare.

Real hardwood would be permeable so moisture could escape through your floors. However the composite wood (which we have) has a layer of plastic that is non-permeable and moisture is getting trapped. Eventually the “wood” is breaking down and peeling. We consulted with several foundation repair groups as well as our flooring contractor.

First we removed all the insulation under the house so the floor boards and beams could get more direct exposure to air circulation. The insulation traps moisture and can cause mold growth (and animals like to use it for nests). They also recommended changing our landscaping so plants were not blocking the crawl space from air flow.

The second thing they’ve recommended (which we have not done) is to encapsulate our crawl space. That is an expensive undertaking; they would completely enclose the are to keep it dry. Run a dehumidifier under the house and use a sump pump and drain line to get the water out as it builds up. We’ve also theorized about putting fans under the house as a less expensive option.

Only once we’ve hit the whole crawl scenery do we get the privilege of replacing our relatively new floors. These floors are glued down so it is difficult to replace just one without damaging its neighboring board so we’ve been told to expect about 1/4 of our first floor to be repaired over three boards.

We’ve been living with this for two years and only taken the first step because it’s all so frustrating and costly . Hopefully this isn’t what you have going on but it looks exactly the same.

Is your house on slab? We are, so there's no crawl space. There's no 'under the house'. Unless I'm confused about what you mean.

But sorry you're also dealing with this 😩.

[mofongo]

Lilac, no humidifier.

[jwright]

Oct 8, 2024 8:29:53 GMT -5 mofongo said:

Oct 8, 2024 7:34:02 GMT -5 jwright said:

I have this exact issue and don’t have any good news. We also just installed composite floor product in 2018. It’s moisture. Is your home on a crawl space. Basically it was explained to me that because we are in a hot and humid climate the area under our house in our crawl space is constantly damp. You can by a device that reads moisture levels on Amazon and see how various spots in your house compare.

Real hardwood would be permeable so moisture could escape through your floors. However the composite wood (which we have) has a layer of plastic that is non-permeable and moisture is getting trapped. Eventually the “wood” is breaking down and peeling. We consulted with several foundation repair groups as well as our flooring contractor.

First we removed all the insulation under the house so the floor boards and beams could get more direct exposure to air circulation. The insulation traps moisture and can cause mold growth (and animals like to use it for nests). They also recommended changing our landscaping so plants were not blocking the crawl space from air flow.

The second thing they’ve recommended (which we have not done) is to encapsulate our crawl space. That is an expensive undertaking; they would completely enclose the are to keep it dry. Run a dehumidifier under the house and use a sump pump and drain line to get the water out as it builds up. We’ve also theorized about putting fans under the house as a less expensive option.

Only once we’ve hit the whole crawl scenery do we get the privilege of replacing our relatively new floors. These floors are glued down so it is difficult to replace just one without damaging its neighboring board so we’ve been told to expect about 1/4 of our first floor to be repaired over three boards.

We’ve been living with this for two years and only taken the first step because it’s all so frustrating and costly . Hopefully this isn’t what you have going on but it looks exactly the same.

Is your house on slab? We are, so there's no crawl space. There's no 'under the house'. Unless I'm confused about what you mean.

But sorry you're also dealing with this 😩.

OK, we are not on a slab. In your case moisture would be coming through the slab; how old is your house? We dealt with THAT on a commercial property that was super old and the original concrete didn’t have the same technologies that we have now to stop water intrusion. You should still check the moisture and see a foundation contractor.

[DotAndBuzz]

Stealth pee-er in the night. Time for a dog to fess up.

[al dente]

We had weird wood stuff happening and it was termites 😞 it started at an exterior wall so everyone thought it was water damage, but then they moved into the wall and the wall got soft so I figured it out.

[jlt19]

Is that where an animal jumps up or down from the bed? Or maybe scratches because they want something?

Without kids to blame, my next in line is always the animals!

[sproctopus]

Oct 8, 2024 14:31:13 GMT -5 al dente said:

We had weird wood stuff happening and it was termites 😞 it started at an exterior wall so everyone thought it was water damage, but then they moved into the wall and the wall got soft so I figured it out.

Idk, I feel like the monkeys would eat the termites?

[rubytue]

Oct 8, 2024 8:29:53 GMT -5 mofongo said:

Oct 8, 2024 7:34:02 GMT -5 jwright said:

I have this exact issue and don’t have any good news. We also just installed composite floor product in 2018. It’s moisture. Is your home on a crawl space. Basically it was explained to me that because we are in a hot and humid climate the area under our house in our crawl space is constantly damp. You can by a device that reads moisture levels on Amazon and see how various spots in your house compare.

Real hardwood would be permeable so moisture could escape through your floors. However the composite wood (which we have) has a layer of plastic that is non-permeable and moisture is getting trapped. Eventually the “wood” is breaking down and peeling. We consulted with several foundation repair groups as well as our flooring contractor.

First we removed all the insulation under the house so the floor boards and beams could get more direct exposure to air circulation. The insulation traps moisture and can cause mold growth (and animals like to use it for nests). They also recommended changing our landscaping so plants were not blocking the crawl space from air flow.

The second thing they’ve recommended (which we have not done) is to encapsulate our crawl space. That is an expensive undertaking; they would completely enclose the are to keep it dry. Run a dehumidifier under the house and use a sump pump and drain line to get the water out as it builds up. We’ve also theorized about putting fans under the house as a less expensive option.

Only once we’ve hit the whole crawl scenery do we get the privilege of replacing our relatively new floors. These floors are glued down so it is difficult to replace just one without damaging its neighboring board so we’ve been told to expect about 1/4 of our first floor to be repaired over three boards.

We’ve been living with this for two years and only taken the first step because it’s all so frustrating and costly . Hopefully this isn’t what you have going on but it looks exactly the same.

Is your house on slab? We are, so there's no crawl space. There's no 'under the house'. Unless I'm confused about what you mean.

But sorry you're also dealing with this 😩.

How old is the house? Moisture can come through concrete. I don’t know about newer technology, but in out older house (55 years old) we had to put a vapor barrier between the concrete and the flooring. 

[mofongo]

rubytue - it’s almost 40yrs old. It feels and looks like it’s just the top breaking off from wear/tear. I’m going to call the flooring company tomorrow. I will let you guys know when I know more:)

I really appreciate all the thoughts/suggestions!

[jwright]

Oct 8, 2024 21:03:18 GMT -5 mofongo said:

rubytue - it’s almost 40yrs old. It feels and looks like it’s just the top breaking off from wear/tear. I’m going to call the flooring company tomorrow. I will let you guys know when I know more:)

I really appreciate all the thoughts/suggestions!

It really looks identical to our moisture damage; I would jump for joy if it were only the floors.