Damp and moisture meters
Where a report pairs parquet blocks with the kitchen, what stays open about cupping beside the dishwasher?
What stays open is the cause of the cupping and how far it goes. Parquet blocks beside a dishwasher can lift at the edges when they take up moisture, and the report pairs those blocks with the kitchen. The survey has seen the distorted blocks. It has not pulled the machine out, has not tested the waste, and has not decided that the dishwasher is leaking rather than the floor being damp from somewhere else. Cupping is a shape in the timber. It is not a leak test, and it is not a decision that the blocks must be replaced.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Parquet is small timber blocks fixed to a subfloor. When one face swells, the block cups and the surface opens along the grain. A dishwasher can wet that edge from a hose, a door seal or a puddle under the plinth, and so can a damp screed or another pipe nearby. The surveyor sees the cups next to the machine. They do not see the connection behind it unless it was drawn forward. The kitchen is the place. It is not the identification of the water.
Tell the solicitor the cupping was observed and the source was not found. If the dishwasher is in question, it needs to be pulled out so the waste and the floor beneath can be seen. The survey has not done that. A flooring specialist can say whether the blocks can be reused or whether the subfloor is affected, but only after the underside is known. Do not order that work from the pairing alone. The report has not blamed the machine, and it has not cleared it.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- How far did the cupping extend past the dishwasher plinth?
- Was the machine moved, or was the note taken from the visible edge?
- Did you see staining on the blocks, or only the cupped shape?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep the cupped blocks separate from an untested dishwasher waste.
- Have the machine pulled out before anyone blames the leak on it.
- Take a flooring opinion only after the underside has been seen.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Can cupped blocks be left from a leak that has already stopped?
Yes. Blocks stay distorted after they dry, so the shape does not date the water. The survey saw cupping beside the dishwasher and did not test a leak. It has not decided the damage is still active. Even a dry patch under the plinth, once someone looks, would leave the distorted blocks as damage already there.
Does the kitchen note cover parquet in the hall?
No. The report pairs these blocks with the kitchen and with cupping beside the dishwasher. Other rooms are outside that sentence. The survey has not decided the whole floor is affected, and it has not cleared the hall. Ask if you need those rooms described. Do not stretch one edge across the house.