You will require substantial investment in materials and labor when installing a wooden floor. When a floor fails, it can be costly to repair. The good news is that if you take your time, use the appropriate floor covering installation systems, and understand wood acclimation, you can create a floor that lasts a lifetime.
Buckling
Buckling is the enlargement of the hardboard due to separation from the subfloor, leading to improper flooring. A floor can buckle for multiple reasons, such as a damp basement, floods, or a dry floor. You can solve this issue by minimizing moisture growth and maintaining dryness below the floor.
Gapping Problem
Anomalous gaps occur due to the ground surface being too wet during installation. The boards are at risk of shrinkage when the environmental conditions change in the dry season. The best time to repair the floor problems is during the humid weather. Repairing the gaps when they’re widest might not give you a satisfactory result and may not provide a long-lasting solution.
Cupping
Cupping occurs when the wood gains excess moisture, causing moisture inconsistency in the plank. Change in the moisture level, improper installation, lack of cleaning, and leakages are some of the few causes of cupping of the floor. You can avoid cupping by:
- Following installation instructions provided by the manufacturer.
- Maintaining proper humidity and moisture levels of the sub-floor.
- Providing suitable acclimation of wood floors to the environment of your home before the establishment.
Fractures
Fractures are the visible cracks you see on wood floors. You’ll most likely encounter them when nailing the planks to the floor. The cracks are more common in factory-finished floors than on unfinished panels and planks. Fractures can form if the boards are dried quickly in the kiln by lumber mills. Some of the preventive measures you can take to prevent fractures include:
- If there are fractures already, use a repair kit, which consists of a bottle of finish, wood filler, and a colored marker to repair the factory-finished boards.
- Use of high-quality wood floor that uses 4-6 mm wear layer over a Baltic birch core.
- Use adapters for power nailers while placing the floor to keep the nailer’s impact from focusing on the floorboards’ surface.
Crowning
Wood is a natural product, and it continues to react to environmental surroundings even after it is installed. When the floorboards absorb humidity from the air or moisture from the subfloor, they swell and push against each other. This may cause the centers of the boards to swell or crown. Crowning can be prevented by ensuring:
- Selecting suitable wood species based on the location’s environmental conditions.
- Circumventing extreme temperatures while placing wood floor.
- The cupped floor should not be sanded before it has completely dried.
· The flooring must have the correct moisture content for the expected humidity and temperature of the location it is to be placed.