How To Fix Gaps In Prefinished Hardwood Floors

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.

How to fix gaps in prefinished hardwood floors.

Filling gaps in prefinished wood floors you want to fill holes cracks and splits but not refinish the floor wood putty is a better choice than wood filler. Sometimes the best method to repair your floor is to replace it entirely. How you choose to fix floor gaps will depend on the size of the gap how sound the floor is and how many gaps are present. If you do discover that your hardwood floor is beginning to gap in spots it s important that you take care of it sooner rather than later.

The problem is magnified when the boards were not tightly laid in the first place. Macon hardwood is a trusted supplier with more than 15 years experience in the hardwood flooring industry. Water logged wood will first swell then shrink as it dries out. Have the installer perform a humidity level test because either very high or very low humidity can cause bowing splitting and warping.

Before installing hardwood floors it is important to acclimate the product to your home. Engineered hardwood flooring is designed to minimize gaps due to expansion and contraction of the wood. Note that this method only works on an unfinished floor and will clash with pre finished floors. We also offer such exotic species as acacia and teak.

Avoiding hardwood floor gaps. Gaps along seams are a common issue with prefinished and unfinished hardwood floors. Gapping in engineered hardwood can be due to many factors including but not limited to the material s manufacturing changes in humidity and the type and quality of the installation. Try to avoid gaps in the first place.

Don t delay fixing hardwood floor gaps. Another exacerbating condition is water damage. But to answer a common question. This is especially true when the gaps are large and numerous or there are other signs of damage to the boards such as warping or missing slivers.

Wood filler is a wetter more fluid product than wood putty. You can fill the gaps in an unfinished floor with a mixture of polyurethane and sanding dust before the floor.