TSA was contacted to evaluate flooring distress in a restaurant. The wood floors in the restaurant buckled, making the floor practically unusable. To avoid having to shut down the restaurant, the restaurant owner cut holes in the floor to relieve stress and screwed the floor down so that it would lay relatively flat.
A review of the restaurant showed that sinks and floor drains had been installed very close to the wood floors. The separation wall between the kitchen and dining areas was not properly waterproofed to prevent water from reaching the wood floors. Once the water reached the wood floors, the wood expanded, and the floors buckled.
