 | Seasonal shrinkage is common in wood flooring. Wood
flooring, being a product of nature, has some water in it at
all times. The moisture content in the wood changes as the moisture
in the environment changes. When the ambient air dries out the wood
dries out and shrinks. This causes the "cracking" between
the boards. |
| Cold weather hits the wood floor twice. When
temperatures drop home owners turn on their heating systems and keep
doors and windows closed. This dries out the home and moisture is
pulled up from the wood causing the wood to shirnk and
"cracks" to appear. This can be somewhat
minimized by using a humidifier. |
| The second factor that affects wood floors is when
the air temperatures fall below freezing. Most of the moisture in
the air falls out as snow, frost, or ice. So, when we get a long
cold spell with ice or snow, we experience a great deal more
shrinkage of wood and cracking. |
| Wood stoves are especially bad for drying out the
inside air. Areas directly around furnaces, heating ducts and base
board heaters also are more susceptible to shrinkage cracks. |
| As temperature and humidity changes occur in
Summer,
seasonal shrinking should remedy itself. As moisture is
introduced back into the air, moisture is also absorbed back into
the wood. Expansion occurs and wood floors generally return to their
original state before the Winter season. |
| It is recommended that you do not fill your wood
floor during the Winter months. When the wood expands again in the
Summer the wood will either force out the excess fills or boards
will warp. Wood must go somewhere as it expands. The force of this
expansion can be significant. |
| It is important to remember that this shrinkage is
not a flaw in the wood or an installation problem. If you desire
additional information concerning wood flooring seasonal movement
please contact Rock Solid Hardwoods. |
