Prevent Gaps In Your Hardwood Floors
Your hardwood floors are a valuable asset. As with any asset, they need to be maintained to preserve their value and help save you money. An important maintenance item on a homeowner’s to-do list should be preventing gaps in the hardwood floors, especially during the winter. Without proper care, gaps could become more noticeable and even require extensive repair. If your floors already have gaps, contact a professional for hardwood floor repair.
Robar Flooring is a skilled and experienced hardwood floor repair and installation company that can help fix existing gaps and preserve the beauty of your floors.
What Causes Gaps In Your Hardwood Floors?
Gaps are not uncommon on hardwood floors, especially in the winter. Natural wood will expand and contract as the seasons change. If your floors were installed during warm, humid months, they were already expanded; therefore, in the winter, they will naturally contract and leave gaps. Also, gaps are more common in the winter because as you heat your home, you naturally remove the moisture in your wood floors, leading to gaps.
Essential Hardwood Floor Repair Tips
There are steps you can take to prevent gaps in your hardwood floor. These include:
- Using Engineered Wood For Flooring – Engineered floors are more stable than natural hardwood and can reduce the likelihood of wintertime gaps.
- Use Narrow Boards – Narrow boards, such as 2 1/4-inch strips, will shrink less and create less noticeable gaps than larger 5-inch planks.
- Avoid Maple – While maple wood is gorgeous, it is also the most common type of wood to expand and contract with the seasons.
- Install Your Floors At The Right Time Of Year – It is best to install your floors when the humidity is at its minimum. You can test the humidity by using a hygrometer.
- Reduce Ventilation – If your floors are contracting in the winter, reduce your ventilation. As your heater continues to run, you lose moisture in your home (also referred to as your relative humidity). You can do this using a humidifier in your home periodically to add moisture back into the air.
Sometimes home remedies are not enough to counteract the expanding and contracting of your hardwood floors. Once you have extensive gaps, you may notice squeaks and cracks in the wood’s surface that will require professional hardwood floor repair.
Are you looking for reliable hardwood floor repair services? Robar Flooring provides exceptional hardwood floor refinishing, repair, installation, sanding and recoating services. Call us today.