Wood Floor Separating In Winter

Base molding is also made of wood if you think your floor was not installed correctly but your molding is separating you probably have a moisture problem in your home. They influence the general condition of your floor which doesnt look that attractive. Even better you could ask guests to take off their shoes and leave them on a waterproof mat near the door.

It also makes it more difficult for you to keep the floor clean as dirt can accumulate in those gaps.

Wood floor separating in winter. They werent there in the summer solid 34 hardwoods will expand and contract with seasonal changes in moisture. In some locations the space is wider than a credit card. Winter weather dries out wood flooring causing gaps possibly increasing squeaks and opening surface cracks. The floor was put down in august and started to separate in december.

When homes are heated in the winter rh levels can plummet boards can shrink and spaces appear between the boards as the wood loses mc. Often gapping can result with flooring installed during periods of higher. Putty should not be used in larger gaps because. Small gaps less than 332 inch in width can be filled with wood filler.

So a humidifier can help with a hardwood floor separating in winter. During winter months complaints usually start trickling in. And then you could refinish over top of that. Cold winter months require more heating.

Dry air is forced into the environment. Inform your clients of these facts and dont rely on humidifiers or other sources of moisture to prevent normal winter conditions. Gaps in wood floors are normal and occur when the wood loses its moisture content. These will help reduce the amount of snow sand and salt tracked into your house.

Some of these variations are seasonal problems and will close up on their own when the weather and related rh changes and the mc of the air increases. We can hear nails pop. I have a new home with oak hardwood floors. Is this normal or was the installation defective.

To prevent large gaps in your wood floors stabilize your homes relative humidity by using a humidifier in the winter. Several factors can be the cause. Moisture is now removed from not only the environment but the cells or pores of the hardwood. Physics will be physics.

If the gaps are particularly large you can also fill them with jute j u t e jute type of rope. Dear martin summer time installation in hot. By ilan first 04122015 winter is a period when you can spot slight gaps appearing in your hardwood flooring between individual boards. Wood will be wood.

The best way to ward off damage to your hardwood floors during the winter months is to place mats near all entrances that lead outside. Often its a floor owner concerned with new hardwood floors separating or gapping.