hardwood floor and humidity

analogmusicman · 01-28-2013, 07:37 PM

so, since I'm now interrested in hardwood floors as opposed to laminate floors,I've been looking at various hardwood floor websites. the FAQ on one site caught my attention. the question went something like: "why are there gaps in my hardwood floor?" the answer was that in the summer when humidity is up there,the wood soaks in the water in the air and the wood expands. in the winter,when the air is dry,the wood dries out and contracts hence some gaps. is this a somewhat common thing? this wouldn't be in their FAQ unless this situation came up a few times. their "cure" was to keep the rel. humid. in your house at 45% always. can't seem to recall anybody complaining about this. anybody know anything about this?

tnx,

joecaption · 01-28-2013, 08:09 PM

Happens all the time, there's been many post on here asking about gaps in the floor.

JazMan · 01-28-2013, 10:35 PM

As Joe said it's common for almost everything on earth. Houses shrink and expand, your furniture, buildings, bridges, airplanes, the road everything.

Did you know a 20 story building can change about 6" between the seasons? Ever see the pavement buckle during a heat wave?

You should put the material in the room to be installed a week or two before installing and you should confirm the moisture content of both, it has to acclimate. Most DIY'rs don't do all of these steps, and is why they have problems.

45% in very cold temps might not be doable. I know from visiting Vail in June that the humidity is very low in summer. Is that the case there too?

Jaz

joecaption · 01-28-2013, 10:42 PM

Around here I run my humidifyer 24/7 and can not seem to get it above 30% but the flooring is tight and no squecks.

JazMan · 01-28-2013, 10:50 PM

I have an old Lobb on the furnace and I keep adjusting it so the windows don't make water. Was no higher than 20 all last week, 5- to - 10 at night, had to keep it about 30% otherwise lots of condensation. It's 37 outside my window now @ 36% humidity inside, a little higher would be perfect.

Jaz

Awoodfloorguy · 01-31-2013, 12:01 AM

They are right. Many people will install a humidifier on their furnace to help with this. I don't think they are all that expensive so it might be worth checking out.

analogmusicman · 01-31-2013, 12:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Awoodfloorguy

They are right. Many people will install a humidifier on their furnace to help with this. I don't think they are all that expensive so it might be worth checking out.

I've got one, but it only works when the furnace works, NOT when the weather is warm and the furnace isn't coming on.

tnx,

JazMan · 02-01-2013, 12:43 PM

Yes right. Most areas don't need additional humidity in the spring, summer or fall. You only need to add moisture when the furnace runs. But I recall it's very dry in your area in the summer too. Can you confirm that, what's the average % in the summer there?

Jaz