Cracks in Hardwood Floors
Cracks and gaps are the most common cause of complaints about hardwood floors.
For obvious reasons, it is normal for the interior of homes to become dry during cold weather-called heating seasons. Under this circumstance wood floors dry out and shrink slightly.
Properly made and properly installed floors should expect to have cracks, separations between edges of boards, in dry months in most areas of North America.
Depending on the width of the boards used, the size of the room and the severity and duration of low outside temperatures (and hence the intensity of heating), the variety and size of the cracks may vary. Properly installed humidifiers may minimize the severity of this condition but will not eliminate it completely.
The National Oak Flooring Manufacturing Association (NOFMA), who sets standards for the industry, provides the following guidelines regarding cracks in hardwood floors:
“Cracks are normal, if they close up during the season associated with higher humidities, or the non-heating season.â€
“Normal cracks may vary in width from hairline cracks, thickness of stationary, to more significant cracks, up to or greater that the thickness of a dime. The larger cracks are expected in those geographical areas associated with an extended dry heating season and warm humid summers.â€
“If truly normal, in the sense the cracks will close up in the summer months, no repairs are practical. Any filler used to fill cracks when they appear-i.e., when the floor is dry - will be pushed out as the wood expands when it picks up moisture. Also, these spaces are necessary for humid season expansion and so if filled can cause so much stress the flooring may buckle after filling.â€
Inspection and evaluation of cracks and gaps in hardwood floors should be conducted during the months with the highest amount of humidity. In the southeastern part of the United States these months are historically the summer months. Only then can the severity of the associated gaps (and/or cracks) be properly evaluated. Regardless of the extent to which a floor may crack or gap, the replacement of a hardwood floor to alleviate cracks is usually both unnecessary and self-defeating. New Flooring material is likely to have a different moisture content than the flooring already acclimated and in place in the home.
For More Information your can visit these sites:
www.nofma.com
www.nwfa.org