Why Gap Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood gaps are generally caused by one of a few installation errors.

Why gap hardwood flooring.

For larger gaps that don t close up call in a professional contractor who can repair floors properly. They weren t there in the summer solid 3 4 hardwoods will expand and contract with seasonal changes in moisture. What you re seeing happen is perfectly normal for all things made of wood in your home including your wood floors. Hardwood floor gaps cracks.

Yes it can still have gaps. The larger the room the larger the gap must be. Engineered hardwood flooring is designed to minimize gaps due to expansion and contraction of the wood. If you do discover that your hardwood floor is beginning to gap in spots it s important that you take care of it sooner rather than later.

There is a very simple explanation for why some months of the year you see gaps in your floor and other months you don t. But to answer a common question. Failing to keep boards straight when working. Over time however the putty hardens chips and flakes.

Thankfully for most hardwood floors the answer is no. Water logged wood will first swell then shrink as it dries out. It will get pushed out as the wood expands with moisture. Putty fillers were once a mainstay of hardwood floor repair.

This is because the hardwood flooring expansion occurs on each board. 10098557 don t delay fixing hardwood floor gaps. Jasper hardwood canadian silver maple collection in montebello gray sku. Another exacerbating condition is water damage.

The total expansion possible is a direct resultant of how many boards there are. The best times to repair hardwood floors are april and october. Wood fillers are also not meant for use with large gaps. Gaps in hardwood floors can be a huge visual annoyance.

During winter months complaints usually start trickling in. Why you should avoid putty fillers. Not only are they an eyesore they can also collect dirt and dust. Often it s a floor owner concerned with new hardwood floors separating or gapping.

The reason hardwood floors have gaps. For normal gaps no repairs are needed. The gap between the hardwood flooring and any obstruction should be a minimum of 5 8 inch and 3 4 inch is actually better as shown in figure 2. Adding filler is not a good idea.

Gapping in engineered hardwood can be due to many factors including but not limited to the material s manufacturing changes in humidity and the type and quality of the installation. This leaves your floor looking even worse and requiring you to dig out the old putty and replace it. With older tongue and groove hardwood or even wide plank floors gaps inevitably develop between the boards mostly because the wood shrinks over time as it dries out and loses moisture content. Improperly acclimating the hardwoods prior to installation.