Why Do I Have Gaps In My Hardwood Floor

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Why do i have gaps in my hardwood floor.

Don t even think about repairs until the spring the floors amy have corrected. For normal gaps no repairs are needed. Failing to install the first board perfectly straight in a hardwood flooring installation. 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. While humidity may affect your hardwood floor permanent cracking is also a possible issue. The wood shrinks because it loses moisture and gaps. Engineered hardwood flooring is designed to minimize gaps due to expansion and contraction of the wood.

Yes it can still have gaps. 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. Not only are they an eyesore they can also collect dirt and dust. In cases where the gaps aren t repaired by increasing the humidity levels you will need to fill these cracks.

Do all this if you expect your solid wood floors to stay tight. Another exacerbating condition is water damage. Don t put any filler into prefinished floors it never looks good. Hardwood floor gaps cracks.

They weren t there in the summer solid 3 4 hardwoods will expand and contract with seasonal changes in moisture. Gaps in hardwood floors can be a huge visual annoyance. 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. Adding filler is not a good idea.

Why do we have gaps. Often it s a floor owner concerned with new hardwood floors separating or gapping. Water logged wood will first swell then shrink as it dries out. In any case wait until spring before you do any filling and do it sparingly.

Improperly acclimating the hardwoods prior to installation. Almost every wood floor will show some separation between boards particularly in the winter months when homes are heated and the air is dry. It will get pushed out as the. Repairing permanent floor cracks photo credit.

The gaps that you have now are probably permanent. But to answer a common question. Failing to keep boards straight when working. 10098557 don t delay fixing hardwood floor 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. Some finishes may also help reduce the risk of your hardwood floor drying.