Staying comfortable at home is very important, and your wood floors should only enhance the coziness of your room. But what happens when there’s too much moisture in your home, or a beam becomes loose? As this happens, your wood floors can begin to separate which can cause a less than pleasing appearance and disrupt comfort. Luckily, for all the uncontrollable factors in life, there are a few good remedies for dealing with them. Here's how to fix those pesky gaps in your floorboards.
Dehumidifiers
In some cases, your home may become extremely humid. Because of moisture in the air, your wood runs the risk of absorbing this moisture and expanding. This can cause warping and cupping, which can lead to separation. This type of separation can be extremely painful to your feet if a board were to expand upward -- the thought of a stubbed toe is gut wrenching! It’s a good idea to keep a dehumidifier around and make sure that your humidity levels are between 35-55%.
Humidifiers
During colder months, the humidity levels in the air drop significantly, which can do many things to your wood. Drying out, splitting, and separation are extremely common. If the gap is barely noticeable during these months, you’re probably better off leaving it. Physics will be physics, and spring will allow them to move back to their original position. For extreme cases, we recommend a humidifier. Bring the level of humidity within the range listed above and you should see results when the wood begins to take shape once again.
Don’t stress over the little things -- Hall Flooring is the Tri-State area's leading distributor of high quality wood flooring options! Call us today at one of our large locations, or reach out to us here. For more tips, tricks, and flooring ideas, like us on Facebook!
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