Why Do I Have Gaps In My Hardwood Floor

Almost every wood floor will show some separation between boards particularly in the winter months when homes are heated and the air is dry.

Why do i have gaps in my hardwood floor.

Failing to install the first board perfectly straight in a hardwood flooring installation. 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. The gaps that you have now are probably permanent. In cases where the gaps aren t repaired by increasing the humidity levels you will need to fill these cracks.

Don t put any filler into prefinished floors it never looks good. While humidity may affect your hardwood floor permanent cracking is also a possible issue. Some finishes may also help reduce the risk of your hardwood floor drying. Yes it can still have gaps.

Adding filler is not a good idea. Another exacerbating condition is water damage. But to answer a common question. Not only are they an eyesore they can also collect dirt and dust.

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. It will get pushed out as the. Don t even think about repairs until the spring the floors amy have corrected. 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.

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. Improperly acclimating the hardwoods prior to installation. Do all this if you expect your solid wood floors to stay tight. 10098557 don t delay fixing hardwood floor gaps.

Hardwood gaps are generally caused by one of a few installation errors. Repairing permanent floor cracks photo credit. For normal gaps no repairs are needed. Often it s a floor owner concerned with new hardwood floors separating or gapping.

During winter months complaints usually start trickling in. Water logged wood will first swell then shrink as it dries out. Failing to keep boards straight when working. They weren t there in the summer solid 3 4 hardwoods will expand and contract with seasonal changes in moisture.

Why do we have gaps. The wood shrinks because it loses moisture and gaps. The problem is magnified when the boards were not tightly laid in the first place. Engineered hardwood flooring is designed to minimize gaps due to expansion and contraction of the wood.

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