Wood Floors have All The Feels…


So,  I have mentioned before that Wood flooring has feelings… real, true, and quite emotional…. wood floors may even have a mental break down if you don’t give them the tender loving care they deserve.


So… what do I mean by feelings? Why would a wood floor have any reason to demonstrate feelings?

It’s a moisture thing…

The two most common ways wood floors tell you how they feel:

Gaps or Separation of Boards?

Gaps between boards are a typical heating season (winter) issue, caused as your floor becomes dryer and shrinks. The best way to minimize this gapping is to maintain humidity in your home.

How do you do that?

You could get a hygrometer from your local Menards or home improvement store. You could buy a moisture reading device for wood. You could buy a humidifier if needed. You can regulate the temperature in your home.

#NWFA, The National Wood Flooring Association recommends 35-55% relative humidity year round.
The moisture content of the wood and sub-floor should be within 6% to 10% and should be within 2% of each other.

Cupping ?

If cupping occurs, the floor has taken on moisture from any number of sources – typically from a wet basement or crawl space, a structural or plumbing problem, or too much humidity (like in the summer).

The solution is to find the source of the moisture and correct it. This may take considerable time depending on severity of the problem. So it is best to prevent it from happening if possible.

A floor may, or unfortunately may not, recover from excessive cupping. Its pest to be proactive towards prevention than reactive after you already have a problem. (reference the info above for recommendations on how to do this).

%d bloggers like this: