Entering into this holiday season you may have noticed a change in your hardwood floorboards. Why do these gaps occur? As the seasons change, so does the humidity which in turn affects the boards in your home if not cared for properly. Hardwood flooring behaves like a sponge, with less humidity the boards will contract creating a gap. Add moisture back into the air again and that same gap will disappear as the boards expand.
There are a couple of ways to prevent this issue to protect the life of your boards.
1. Humidifier
An environment that is consistently between 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit, and 30-50% humidity is recommended for your floors and also best for your health. A built-in humidifier will become your floor's best friend. Reasonably priced, they can be attached to your furnace where you can set the percentage of humidity in your home. During the dry winter season, this will assist in preserving your beautiful floors.
2. In Floor Heat Humidity Monitor
With the installation of wood floors over in-floor heat, we install what is called a Fidbox. A Fidbox is a product we can install inside one of your planks of wood and it tests for moisture as well as heat. This product connects to your phone via Bluetooth and alerts you when your wood is too wet or too dry. It will also alert you if the heat is too high on your in-floor heater. Fidbox is recommended especially for in-floor heat; however, you can use it in any location you have wood. We do not personally install in-floor heat under wood floors; however, we do know credible companies we work hand-in-hand with to accomplish this for you.
