Why Do I Have Gaps In My Hardwood Floor

Water logged wood will first swell then shrink as it dries out.

Why do i have gaps in my hardwood floor.

Repairing permanent floor cracks photo credit. Don t put any filler into prefinished floors it never looks good. 10098557 don t delay fixing hardwood floor gaps. Often it s a floor owner concerned with new hardwood floors separating or gapping.

But to answer a common question. They weren t there in the summer solid 3 4 hardwoods will expand and contract with seasonal changes in moisture. Why does my floor have gaps or some similar version of that like can you fill the cracks in my floor it s not fun to have your floors refinished and the boards are tight in the summer and then just a few months later when things start to get colder they start opening and being full of gaps. During winter months complaints usually start trickling in.

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. Engineered hardwood flooring is designed to minimize gaps due to expansion and contraction of the wood. Yes it can still have gaps. 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.

Why do we have gaps. Improperly acclimating the hardwoods prior to installation. The problem is magnified when the boards were not tightly laid in the first place. Large gaps in wood floors that do not close up during the summer months could be a result of excessive moisture check the crawl space below being located too close to a heating vent incorrect nail spacing or structural settlement issues.

Failing to install the first board perfectly straight in a hardwood flooring installation. Hardwood floor gaps cracks. Not only are they an eyesore they can also collect dirt and dust. Jasper hardwood canadian silver maple collection in montebello gray sku.

The gaps that you have now are probably permanent. 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. Gaps in hardwood floors can be a huge visual annoyance. Don t even think about repairs until the spring the floors amy have corrected.

For normal gaps no repairs are needed. Another exacerbating condition is water damage. Almost every wood floor will show some separation between boards particularly in the winter months when homes are heated and the air is dry. Failing to keep boards straight when working.

Some finishes may also help reduce the risk of your hardwood floor drying. In any case wait until spring before you do any filling and do it sparingly. Adding filler is not a good idea. Hardwood gaps are generally caused by one of a few installation errors.

The wood shrinks because it loses moisture and gaps. In cases where the gaps aren t repaired by increasing the humidity levels you will need to fill these cracks.