Seasonal Changes

During the winter we often get enquiries about why a floor is starting to have gaps appear between the boards. This is usually due to seasonal changes in the climate. As the humidity in a space reduces the wood will begin to contract, this causes the gaps to appear between the boards. Humidity reduces because of the increased use of central heating during the winter months and then return to normal when the humidity reverts back.

This can be minimised and sometimes prevented by the way the floor is laid. Using a floor system that does not need to be nailed or glued to the sub-floor, such as Kahrs or Junckers floating systems, can minimise the chance of gaps appearing in a floor.

The Kahrs Woodloc Joint holds the individual boards together preventing them from pulling apart when the humidity changes. The floating floor system is fitted with a silicone seal or cork filler around the perimeter of the floored area. This is called an expansion gap and allows all expansion to occur at the edges of the floor rather than between the joints of each board, letting the floor expand and contract as one. Many different types of engineered flooring have a similar system to this and all have their benefits for different situations.

The Junckers clip system works in a similar way but uses metal clips to hold the solid floor together rather than the boards holding themselves in place. Each Junckers board has a groove cut into the underside to allow for a metal clip to be inserted to connect each board to the one next to it. This connects all of the boards together and prevents them from pulling away form each other. The floor is again fitted with an expansion gap to allow it to expand and contact around the perimeter. Junckers is the only solid floor that can be laid in this way. As with engineered floors different solid floors are more suited in different situations.