Winter Gapping in Hardwood Flooring

Winter has arrived, and so have the moisture issues associated with the changing seasons. Let’s consider two approaches to preventing winter gapping in your hardwood floors.

How can homeowners keep their indoor RH elevated during winter and protect their hardwood flooring investment?

We suggest these two approaches:

1. Reduce Ventilation – When cold winter air is brought into a house and warmed, the RH of that air drops significantly. For example, air at 30 degrees Fahrenheit and 50 percent RH will drop to 10 percent RH when heated to 70 degrees. The more ventilation in a home, the drier the air will be. This effect can be lessened by reducing ventilation.

2. Add Moisture – Colder outdoor air, higher ventilation rates, and higher target indoor RH levels require more moisture. Because the ventilation rate and amount of moisture needed are related, an economical approach is to reduce ventilation rates and then add moisture. Moisture is added to indoor environments through normal household activities and can be supplemented with a humidifier.

It is important to note that no matter how consistent an environment is kept, wood is a natural product and will likely contract (gap) during the heating season.

Source: Jaeckle Distributors