Wood Floor Expansion

Hardwood flooring and laminate flooring are not installed using the same guidelines of expansion and contraction.

Wood floor expansion.

The simple fact is that when wood flooring is exposed to excessive moisture the floor will cup even if left with a quarter of a mile of expansion space. An expansion gap is a term used when fitting wooden flooring. To reduce the degree of change homeowners can add moisture to the air during the dry months ideally by installing a humidifier in the. Conversely when air moisture levels decrease moisture content evaporates shrinkage occurs.

Know that wider boards expand and contract more than narrower ones. Here s a brief primer on what s normal for a wood floor as well as how to avoid any true moisture damage. These spaces are to be expected and usually close up as the season changes and moisture returns to the air. Although engineered wood flooring is more resistant to expansion and contraction than solid wood it is still important to leave an expansion gap when installing an engineered wood floor.

Breaks can be placed in doorways between rooms or hallways and can be hidden or maintained by using basic t type expansion moldings. Many of the sales associates in big box retail centers do not have the training or experience to assist the home handyman in the proper installation of hardwood flooring they make the assumption that gaps between walls and the. Expansion takes place and the hardwood grows for lack of a clearer term across the grain or width of the plank see below not all will react this way. Are expansion gaps necessary for solid and engineered wood flooring.

A dry subfloor plus correct flooring mc plus a lot of fasteners equals the best wood floor performance. The short answer to this question is yes. Here s how to find them. The expansion gap should be around the whole perimeter of the room wherever the flooring may be against fixed objects such as walls doorways radiator pipes and fireplaces.

When you ve selected hardwood flooring for your home you ve purchased a living product. It is an essential gap that must be left around the edge of the room when fitting hardwood bamboo or laminate flooring. Hardwood floor expansion and contraction can appear in a few different ways. Expansion gaps should be left wherever the floor comes up against a fixed object for example next to a wall a doorway or a heating pipe.

Measure the board s width. Wood movement can ruin a seemingly well constructed project. Expansion and contraction is to be expected in a natural product like hardwood flooring.