Cracks & Separations Happen to All Hardwood Floors In the winter months when the home is heated and the air is dry, wood flooring releases some of its moisture and therefore shrinks. When this happens, thin cracks appear between boards. This is normal and is acceptable.
If you are concerned about the wood getting damaged and want to mitigate it, one thing you can do is operate a household humidifier. This is especially helpful during the winter when the wood is most prone to cracking damage.
If you have a very damp crawlspace, the moisture can seep through the subfloor. This can cause your floors to take on the moisture and then release it into the room, resulting in hardwood floor splitting. You can easily check for this issue by inspecting your crawlspace for signs of moisture or even mold.
You can fix minor splits and fractures with epoxy (wood glue) and filler. Fill the crack with epoxy, then apply the filler to help conceal it. Allow both to dry and harden completely before sanding and finishing the area.
Moisture and humidity can significantly impact the stability of vinyl plank flooring. Proper subfloor preparation is crucial to prevent separation issues. Extreme temperature fluctuations can cause the vinyl planks to expand and contract, leading to separation.
Humidity and Temperature Fluctuations: Laminate flooring can expand and contract in response to changes in humidity and temperature. If the indoor environment isn't controlled, these fluctuations can cause the planks to separate or buckle.
Solutions. If edge splinters are the issue, carefully removing them with a sharp blade should be the first step to repairing the flooring. Touching up unfinished edges with a stain or finish will keep the floor looking fresh as well as eliminating future problems of this or a similar nature.
As time goes on; your floorboards might start needing a bit of care and attention. If they've dried out or worked loose from their fittings, they could have started to creak. And if they've split, warped, shrunk or broken, you may need to replace them completely.
Every hardwood floor endures some separation between boards. In the winter months when the home is heated and the air is dry, wood flooring releases some of its moisture and therefore shrinks. When this happens, thin cracks appear between boards. This is normal and is acceptable.
The most common reason is foundation settlement. As the soil underneath your home becomes uneven, it can no longer properly support the foundation. This causes sections of the foundation to sink or settle at different rates, resulting in cracks and gaps between the floors and walls.
Why Does Wood Check? Green (wet) wood will naturally dry over time and as wood dries, it will shrink. This causes cracks and splits in the wood, these are called “checks”. There is no way to prevent checks from happening, especially when wood is used in an outside application.
Using Glue
If you find a splinter in your wood floor, there are a few ways to DIY repair. Start by gently lifting the splinter with a piece of dental floss and cleaning out any debris underneath it. Then wipe down the area with a damp cloth and apply wood glue in a thin line to keep the splinter down.
Wood floors continually expand and contract with changes in temperature and humidity of the jobsite/environment. In the winter, with heat being turned up for warmth, the moisture level will decrease. In turn, the wood floor boards will also get drier and shrink, and as they do, they will pull away from each other.
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.
Applying unnecessary heat or moisture to your cutting boards causes internal stress in the wood eventually making them weak or breakable.
Gaps in wooden floors are normal and occur when wood loses its moisture content. Some floors have deliberate gaps for preferred aged aesthetics such as a rustic look chevron floor. Wood expands and contracts when it absorbs or releases moisture. This natural movement exists in all wooden floors.
Floorboard Replacements
Replacing floorboards typically costs between $800 and $2,000.
Hardwood floors, such as oak, maple, and cherry, are known for their durability and resistance to wear and tear. Softwood floors, like pine and cedar, are more prone to dents and scratches but offer a unique rustic charm.
Planks may separate due to factors such as humidity or physical shifting, particularly with click-lock floors. To remedy this issue: Vacuum the gap to remove debris for a tight seam. Use a suction cup and rubber mallet to scoot the board into place.
Squishy or spongy flooring can sometimes be a sign of water damage, either to the boards themselves or the subfloor. This is often caused by using too much water on the laminate to clean it, such as using a sopping wet mop or steam mop, which damages the wooden core of the laminate boards.