Wood Floors and Humidity: A Risky Relationship for Southern Homes
Wood flooring is a beautiful and durable choice for homes across Georgia and the Southeast, but it comes with a big vulnerability: moisture. In humid climates, even well-installed hardwood floors can swell, cup, or buckle over time. When damage does occur, repairs often fail to address the root cause, and leave homeowners stuck in a cycle of costly fixes.
If the ways our humid climate can wreak havoc on your hardwood floors has never crossed your mind, we’ve got you. Read on to learn the best ways to repair wood floors in humid environments without risking future damage, and why so many contractors skip the critical step of post-repair humidity monitoring.
First, The Basics
What may seem like a no brainer to some people may be completely lost on others. So let’s start with what it is about humidity that causes such issues with wood flooring.
Obviously, wood is a natural material. Whether in nature or installed in your home, wood will expand and contract based on how much moisture is in the air. In Georgia's humid summers, this can cause floorboards to swell, press against each other, and eventually rise at the edges (known as “cupping”). Over time, that pressure can damage the flooring or subflooring.
Repairs that don’t account for this ongoing risk tend to fail within months. The most common mistakes include replacing boards without acclimating them to the home’s environment, skipping vapor barriers, or using incompatible materials.
Smart Repair Strategies for Humid Climates
To protect your wood floor investment, any repair or replacement job in a humid region like the Southeast should prioritize both material compatibility and moisture management. Here’s how to do it right:
- Acclimate wood flooring materials: Before installation, boards should sit in the home for 5 to 7 days to adjust to indoor humidity levels. This reduces the chance of swelling after installation.
- Use engineered hardwood when possible: Engineered wood is more dimensionally stable than solid hardwood, making it less prone to expansion in humid climates.
- Install proper moisture barriers: A high quality underlayment or vapor barrier can shield the subfloor from ground or crawlspace moisture.
- Avoid dense sealants alone: While sealing may seem like a good defense, it can trap moisture inside the wood. Breathable finishes are often better in high-humidity areas.
- Replace only when necessary: In some cases, dehumidification or refinishing may resolve minor cupping without needing to tear out boards.
- Hire a flooring professional who understands the regional climate. Contractors experienced with Georgia’s humidity will use techniques suited to local conditions.
The Overlooked Step: Humidity Monitoring!
Even when flooring repairs are done well, many homeowners (and even some contractors) fail to monitor humidity levels afterward. This is a critical error, especially during seasonal transitions.
Humidity monitoring matters for a few reasons. First of all, wood continuously reacts to its environment. Even after repairs, your floorboards will keep expanding or contracting depending on indoor moisture levels. That’s just science. Secondly, many HVAC systems manage temperature but don’t always regulate humidity effectively, particularly in older homes. So unless you have a whole-home dehumidifier, the air in your home likely has more moisture than you realize.
Another pretty important reason is that early detection can prevent big problems. Just like seeing your doctor regularly, humidity monitoring tools can alert homeowners to changes before damage occurs, giving them time to run a dehumidifier or adjust ventilation.
So why is this step skipped? In many cases, it’s due to a combination of cost-cutting, lack of education, or the assumption that visible repairs are enough. Some contractors may not provide guidance about long-term care, or homeowners may not realize how critical indoor air quality is to wood longevity.
But the solution is simple and affordable: indoor humidity monitors, called hygrometers. cost as little as $10 to $30 and can be placed in multiple rooms to track levels throughout the year. The ideal indoor range for hardwood is between 35% and 55% relative humidity, according to the National Wood Flooring Association.
Protect Your Floors Year-Round
If you’re repairing or replacing wood flooring in Georgia, treating the symptoms without addressing the cause will almost guarantee future issues. Expansion, cupping, and cracking are preventable with the right approach and tools.
Homeowners can protect their floors by choosing moisture-resistant materials, working with knowledgeable local pros, using vapor barriers and acclimated flooring, and monitoring humidity levels all year long.
These extra steps may not be ideal, but they could save thousands in repair costs. In a climate where summer humidity can feel like walking through warm spaghetti water, taking these precautions aren’t optional – they’re essential.