Expansion and Contraction:

• Wood is hygroscopic material, in other words, it will absorb or release moisture until in equilibrium of its surroundings.
  • Gaps may occur due to change in seasons and/or changes in humidity.
  • Wood will not swell or shrink equally; this may cause gaps in some areas of the floor and not in others.
  • Gaps may be more excessive around vents or above the home’s heating system.
  • Excessive moisture may cause cupping of a wood floor, although a small amount of cupping can be accepted as normal, especially in wider widths.
  • Plank floors (3”-8” width) will expand and contract to greater degrees than strip flooring (1 ½”-2 ¼ “).
  • Normal moisture content of flooring in the Ohio Valley region can generally be expected to have a moisture content of between seven and ten percent.
  • Some species of wood may expand and contract more or less depending on the “stability” of the wood.
• All species of wood differ in stability characteristics and hardness. The Janka Scale is a measurement to determine the hardness of woods. Please consult with us if you have any questions about your particular species of wood and where it falls on the Janka Scale in relation to other species.

Squeaks:

• With the normal expansion and contraction of wood, over time squeaks may occur from the nails and staples slowly becoming loose, however, in our experience, most squeaks come from loose sub-floors rather than the actual hardwood.
• In new installations, Owen Flooring takes as many steps as possible to secure the existing sub-floor to prepare it for a good installation.
• In existing floors, squeaks may be difficult or not possible to fix.