Floor Boards Separating In Winter

The wood shrinks because it loses moisture and gaps.

Floor boards separating in winter. Narrow boards will shrink less than wide boards for a given change in moisture content mc. Often it s a floor owner concerned with new hardwood floors separating or gapping. So using engineered flooring may be an option for reducing winter time floor issues but check the manufacturer s recommendations and warranty. Like jim mentioned you need to check your humidity level.

They weren t there in the summer solid 3 4 hardwoods will expand and contract with seasonal changes in moisture. Filling large gaps with natural fiber rope is a traditional method commonly used on wide plank floorboards in very old homes. Cracks and separations can be alarming to the proud owner of a new hardwood floor especially when it looks nearly flawless in the summertime when by winter some noticeable cracking and separating of the floor boards appear. During winter months complaints usually start trickling in.

A 5 inch wide plank will shrink twice as much as a 2 inch strip. While the rope doesn t look like wood you can stain it to blend with the floorboards and the filled gaps will be much less noticeable than the dark empty gaps. It is normal in the winter month for gaps to increase in general because the humidity in your house is lower and causes the wood to contract. If it was that big of gaps all over i would say it would not be normal.

I usually try to keep my house around 40 in the winter.