Having hardwood floors in your home is a popular, yet expensive, flooring option. When you’re paying thousands of dollars for solid wood floors, you want to make sure they stay in perfect condition for as long as possible. When a noticeable gap or crack appears, it can be devastating and potentially hazardous, especially if you have kids running around. However, this problem can be easily fixed with this guide and a quick trip to the hardware store.

Why Gaps Form

Hardwood is easily affected by changes in weather conditions, and the temperature in your home is no different. If it’s too hot, the wood will expand. Too cold and the wood shrinks. Humidity also plays a role in the condition of your floors. If your space isn’t humid enough, the solid wood will shrink and start to dry out. As wood naturally dries out over time, increasing the level of humidity in the room by using a humidifier will help to keep them healthy and like new.

Is Wood Filler effective?

Yes, this is an effective method for temporarily dealing with gaps in your floors. However, this isn’t a long-term solution. Your floors will continue to expand and contract due to changing temperatures and humidity levels. Unless you employ the proper humidity maintenance methods, using only wood filler won’t prevent your floors from separating in the future. It’s also only meant to fill in smaller gaps, so you’ll need to find a permanent solution for those bigger ones.

What About Floor Wax?

If you have kids or messy roommates, you might want to consider using a floor wax to seal your hardwood. While not a popular choice due to its need to be resurfaced on a regular basis, floor wax will fill the pores within your hardwood and seal it against moisture. This prevents damage from unexpected spills while also keeping moisture in the boards themselves, preventing them from drying out.

Repairing Cracks

In cases where your hardwood floors are cracked and can’t be repaired by increasing the level of humidity in the room, you’ll need to fill them yourself to prevent further damage. There are many ways you can do this, including applying a flexible gap filler that keeps part of its elasticity after drying, using wood strips of the same species and colour to fill the gap or replacing the entire flooring section altogether.

At Touchtone Canada, we offer residential, commercial and new construction clients with high-quality flooring options. Located in Edmonton, Alberta, our facility spans 50,000 square feet and includes a wide variety of carpeting, laminate, hardwood, tiles, vinyl planks, premium rugs and more. Whether you’re simply redesigning a room or going through large home renovations, our Edmonton store will have everything you need when it comes to flooring. With excellent customer service for over 25 years, visit us in-store or go online for more information.