Fixing Wood Floors Gaps

Putty fillers were once a mainstay of hardwood floor repair.

Fixing wood floors gaps.

Gapping occurs when wood floors lose their moisture content. Wood expands and contracts with seasonal differences in humidity and the older a floor gets the greater the chance that these movements will. Another exacerbating condition is water damage. Over time however the putty hardens chips and flakes.

If you cannot fix the problem by installing a humidifier you may need to take more drastic action when it comes to filling wide gaps. Water logged wood will first swell then shrink as it dries out. How to fix separating hardwood floors. The process is relatively simple.

Not only are they an eyesore they can also collect dirt and dust. Hardwood gaps are generally caused by one of a few installation errors. Why you should avoid putty fillers. 10098557 don t delay fixing hardwood floor gaps.

In this video i show you how to fill in gaps between hardwood flooring with wood filler. Fill in the gap with wood filler. Filling large gaps in old wood floors. Several factors can lead to its cause.

Even though the hardwood is no longer living and growing it contains cells that still take on and lose moisture with changes in relative humidity. The example to the right shows a nickel sized gap. Almost every wood floor will show some separation between boards particularly in the winter months when homes are heated and the air is dry. Gaps in hardwood floors can be a huge visual annoyance.

Failing to keep boards straight when working. This type of cracking is considered normal for hardwood and no filler method will hold up unless the proper humidity is maintained. The problem is magnified when the boards were not tightly laid in the first place. By examining it from a layman s view.

Failing to install the first board perfectly straight in a hardwood flooring installation. There are many different ways to go about correcting this type of issue but we will dive into the most common. How to fix old hardwood floors with gaps and cupping. Improperly acclimating the hardwoods prior to installation.

With older tongue and groove hardwood or even wide plank floors gaps inevitably develop between the boards mostly because the wood shrinks over time as it dries out and loses moisture content.