Understanding Seasonal Gapping in Hardwood Flooring
If you’ve ever noticed small gaps between your hardwood floor planks during the winter months, you’re not alone. This isn’t necessarily a flaw in your flooring. It’s most likely “seasonal gapping”, which is a natural response to Colorado’s dry, changing environment. In here, you’ll learn why seasonal gapping occurs, how to minimize seasonal gapping, and what “paneling” is and why it matters.
Why does seasonal gapping happen, you may ask?
Well, hardwood is a natural, live species, meaning it reacts to the environment around it. As temperatures and humidity levels fluctuate throughout the year, hardwood floors expand and contract. Here’s what typically happens:
Summer - The air tends to be more humid, and with wood being a live species, it absorbs that moisture, causing it to expand and the gaps to close up.
Winter - Heating systems (in addition to our dry environment) dry out the air, lowing the humidity indoors. This causes the wood to lose moisture, shrink, and create visible gaps between the planks.
This cycle of expansion and contraction is completely normal and expected, but certain installation practices and wood types can reduce the visibility and impact of this.
How to minimize seasonal gapping?
While some minor gapping is unavoidable, there are a few proactive steps you can take to keep your hardwood floors looking their best all year long.
Maintain indoor humidity levels at 35-50%.
Let the wood acclimate in the home, prior to installation, so that it can adjust to your home’s living conditions.
Choose a specific hardwood that lessens the amount of seasonal gapping such as:
Engineered hardwood, which is designed to resist dramatic expansion and contraction due to its layered construction.
Rift & quarter sawn hardwood, which is cut in a way that makes it more dimensionally stable than traditional plain sawn hardwood.
What is “paneling” or “side bonding” and why does it matter?
When the wrong products or techniques are used during installation, the boards can become bonded together with sealers that don’t allow for the natural movement that hardwood needs. As the wood tries to shrink in winter, these boards resist movement and begin to pull or “fracture”, creating what we call a “paneling” effect. This is when multiple boards are stuck together and shrink as one large piece, leading to unsightly cracks or stress fractures.
At Elevated Hardwood Floors, we use high-quality, flexible sealers specifically designed to accommodate seasonal movement. These sealers move with the wood, reducing the risk of paneling and preserving the integrity of your floor throughout the year.
The gist
Seasonal gapping is part of living in a home with hardwood floors, but with the right products, installation methods, and proper maintenance, you can reduce its impact and keep your floors looking beautiful year-round.
If you have questions about what flooring is best for your home or how to prep for Colorado’s seasons, we’re always happy to help! Just reach call, text or email us.