A newly installed hardwood floor should have its floorboard closely fitted against each other and should not reveal any gaps, assuming that the installation was done correctly. If you are doing the installation of the hardwood floors yourself, you should not leave gaps in between floorboards.
Generally speaking, gaps in a wood floor are normal for boards up to 2¼ inches wide if the gaps close during more humid times of the year. Normal gaps can vary in width, ranging from hairline gaps to the thickness of a quarter.
Apart from moisture and temperature fluctuations, wood floor boards can separate and develop gaps if the flooring hasn't been properly acclimatised prior to installation or if an insufficient expansion gap has been left around the room.
Gaps in wood floors are normal and occur when the wood loses its moisture content. Several factors can be the cause. Often gapping can result with flooring installed during periods of higher humidity. Months later, usually during the heating season, those gaps start to show up.
Leaving the right expansion gap is an essential part of fitting any wooden floor. Whether it be solid wood, engineered wood or parquet block flooring, they all need an expansion gap to allow for natural movements when the wood expands and contracts with changes in the surrounding atmosphere.
The even look of a gap-filled floor is pleasing to the eye but not always necessary. Filling gaps does stop draughts and prevents the build up of dust between the gaps. It also tightens the floor and helps prevent timber movement. * Resin is mostly used on parquet and mosaic floors where there are lots of fine gaps.
Wood is a natural product and as such expands and contracts with changes in atmospheric conditions. It is for this reason that wooden floors need an expansion gap. Solid wood floors take in moisture when there is a high level of humidity in the air and let that moisture go when the humidity reduces.
During the summer, all wood floors tend to expand because wood reacts to moisture. Air with a high moisture content (MC) or high relative humidity (RH) causes wood to gain moisture. Extreme moisture can cause cupping (when the edges raise higher than the middle of the wood planks) or even buckling.
As already stated, you need to leave between 10 and 15mm all around your room. Ideally, you should place a range of suitably sized spacers against the wall you're fitting against as well as against the two walls where the floor will run. This way you're sure to get the right size of gap.
Best Practices for Acclimating Wood Flooring
Acclimation times vary by species and product, but a rule of thumb is to acclimate wood floor products for at least three days. You're trying to reach an equilibrium between the moisture content of the wood materials and the air where the product is being installed.
The recommended expansion gap for the engineered wood floor is 8mm (5/16 in). For hardwood or bamboo, leave a gap between 10 to 15 mm (3/8 to 5/8 in).
Moisture in Spring and Summer
Fall is a perfect season for hardwood flooring installation because the cool, crisp weather exposes your hardwood flooring to less moisture.
Wood floors provide heat that lasts
Wood and other solid materials significantly reduce your home's temperature fluctuation because they absorb and store heat while light carpet fibers simply become a barrier. This phenomenon holds true for other solid materials like concrete, laminate, ceramic, and tile.
Pre-Finish Tongue-and-Groove
As tongue-and-groove boards expand and contract, the spaces between them change a little. If you don't prefinish the boards, you'll see exposed raw wood on the tongue when the boards shrink.
Introducing filler strips.
Filler strips are essentially very fine batons of the same species and colour of wood as your floor that you insert into the gaps. The great advantage of this method of gap filling is that there is no risk that the strips will fall through, because they too will be able to rest on the joists.
If you're painting floorboards, either with a stain or paint, you may need to sand them first. If there's a stain on the boards, you'll need to sand them back with a floor sander, but if they're untreated, you may be able to sand them by hand or with a power tool to clean them up before painting.
Acclimation of wood flooring begins with proper storage at the job site. It should be cross stacked and spaced to encourage air circulation around the boards. Most manufacturers recommend materials acclimate for a minimum of three days with no maximum suggested.
Installing hardwood floors is a great option to make a room feel like new without remodeling. Plus, it can add value to your home. Hardwood floors can be installed in the winter, but doing so comes with some challenges. Humidity—the level of moisture present in the air—plays a key role in floor installation.
Hardwood floors are beautiful, last a lifetime, and are easy to install. With no special tools, you can go from subfloor to breathtaking in as little as a day.
It is important to keep this in mind, because when there is not a big enough expansion gap, the floor will expand into the wall. When you don't have the proper expansion gap, the pressure caused by the natural expansion of the floor will need to go somewhere.
In addition to detracting from the aesthetics of your surroundings, buckling can also damage the interlocking mechanism of your laminate planks, resulting in extra expenditure to have them replaced. The minimum recommended size for an expansion gap is a quarter( ¼ ) of an inch.
Solid hardwood floors move in sync with fluctuating conditions in their environment. They expand when the humidity increases, and contract when it decreases. During the winter months, contracting floors will often leave thin cracks or gaps between the planks.
How long do I have to wait to use my room after new floors are installed? We recommend waiting 6 hours before walking on your new floors in socks. After 24 hours you can walk through with shoes on. Allow 48 hours before setting furniture and returning pets.
Can Hardwood Flooring Acclimate in the Box? It is possible to acclimate hardwood flooring in the box, but it will take much longer due to the lack of air circulation.