On 2/23/2012 11:26 AM, Paul Conners wrote:
Excellent example is the cupping of hardwood floors, which "cup"
(concave side up) when wet from the underneath ... dry on the top, wet
on bottom ... one of the main reasons why a moisture barrier is always
used _beneath_ a hardwood floor.
[Swingman]

This doesn't hold water ;-) when speaking of this table top. The bottom is
not likely to be "soaked" in water but free to dry, much more so than the
top. The top is exposed to water (rain, spillage), whereas the underside has
little exposure to water except for the little that drips around the edges of
the table and which gravity will pull it off immediately.

The bottom side of the table top looks nearly pristine, whereas the top looks
like it's been through a war: the factory finish (polyurethane?) is still on
the underside of the wood but long since baked off the top (from sun
exposure).

You obviously did not bother to read the very specific quote at the end
of my post that deals with "sun exposure". LOL

You're right that what you quote above does not apply to your table
....nor was it ever intended to.

What does indeed apply to your table is the description you used in your
original post ... the term "weathered".

You might want to go back and read the second "example" I used for the
effects of moisture on the dimensional stability of wood, as well as the
quote at the bottom which specifically deals with wood subjected to sun
and "weather".

If you did not accurately describe the condition of your table, then you
have no one to blame but yourself for misapplying the examples.

Just so there is no mistake how appropriate the quote was to your table
suffering "sun exposure" (sic), here it is again:

quote
Wood warmed by the sun experiences a virtual RH far below the ambient
RH. The surface dries faster than the rest of the lumber. This is why
cupping and checking often occur on decking boards; the top surface is
much drier than the rest of the board. Shrinkage of the top surface
commensurate with this dryness causes cupping and checking parallel to
the grain
/quote

It really does help to read an _entire_ post, not just those parts you
want to take exception to.

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