Installers have a hard enough time. They don't need to make someone else's problem their problem.
I looked at a 2¼" oak floor this week that was crowned. The floor was a replacement following a fire. The original floor wasn't directly affected by the fire, but it did get wet in the process. The extensive fire damage was repaired, the house dried, and the floor re-installed. There is pretty good documentation that job site conditions were acceptable at the time of installation.
After installation, some things went askew, and the floor was refinished a couple times. At one point, the crawl space flooded. The builder fixed the crawl space, and the flooring company sanded the cupped floors flat. Everyone was in a rush to get the homeowners back in the house.
Once the homeowners moved back in, the floors started crowning. Now they look pretty sad. Here's a pic:
When I explained to the installers what happened, they said, "But we did everything right." Yes, I'll agree that the installation was good, but the instant they touched the cupped floor, they made that situation their problem. The crawl space water issue wasn't their fault, the water wasn't their fault, nor could they have foreseen the situation. But by sanding the cupped floor, they bought the problem. Now the floor is crowned. Now they get to refinish it again, only this time in an occupied house.
If something goes wrong in spite of your efforts, stop and find out what happened and why. Don't be pressured by builders, insurance companies, homeowners or even your boss to just get 'er done. Otherwise you make someone else's problem yours, and that will cost you money.
