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hard wood floors oak
- Thread starter lenmissy
- Start date
ringneck
Well-known member
This is strongly influenced by humidity... It's a good idea to have a humidifier, and try to keep some moisture in the air during the winter. It's a big balancing act to not create condensation issues, however.
Gary S
Well-known member
Wood doesn't change size much due to temperature, but it changes radically due to humidity changes.
If you are in a heated building and seeing gaps, you probably have very low humidity in there.
If you are in a heated building and seeing gaps, you probably have very low humidity in there.
Erampu
Well-known member
When the cat falls through one of the cracks, you know you've got a problem...
We have fifty year old oak floors through out the house and they do not change in appearance over the winter. The furnace fan runs on "continuous" 24/7/365 and we do not add any humidification. Cooking and showers keep the humidity at an acceptable level.
Voi
Well-known member
In the winter do hard wood floors tend to open a bit in certain places i live in canada today it is -30c
I don't know if you're asking about an existing hardwood floor or asking because you're thinking about putting them in, but quartersawn hardwood floors minimize this as they expand and contract along their thickness vs the more common plain sawn floors.
Of course engineered floors won't do this nearly as much either.
pattenp
Well-known member
They should stay tight in the winter and open up in the summer. Unless you have a wood stove in the house, which has a real dry heat.
I don't know where you live but it's the opposite here. Shrinks in the winter (low humidity) expands in the summer (high humidity). Either way if the oak flooring is the pre-finished type it should be stable.
Voi
Well-known member
I don't know where you live but it's the opposite here. Shrinks in the winter (low humidity) expands in the summer (high humidity). Either way if the oak flooring is the pre-finished type it should be stable.
Same in my area. But in areas with really hot summers and mild winters it can be the opposite, assuming AC is run 24/7 during the summer and heat doesn't run much in winter.
pattenp
Well-known member
Same in my area. But in areas with really hot summers and mild winters it can be the opposite, assuming AC is run 24/7 during the summer and heat doesn't run much in winter.
The heating type makes a big difference in the winter here. During the winter one place I lived had gas heat and we didn't have a humidifier and some of our furniture started to crack. Walking around you'd get zapped by static electricity.
Chucktown
Well-known member
The heating type makes a big difference in the winter here. During the winter one place I lived had gas heat and we didn't have a humidifier and some of our furniture started to crack. Walking around you'd get zapped by static electricity.
Gas heat is actually better than electric from a humidity standpoint. Water vapor is a byproduct of the combustion process in natural gas. It's the same concept behind why bakers prefer electric ovens, it produces a dryer heat.
Oak floors will have tangential and radial shrinkage when the humidity level decreases. Google those terms and you'll see which floors are more susceptible to it.
Gas heat is actually better than electric from a humidity standpoint. Water vapor is a byproduct of the combustion process in natural gas. It's the same concept behind why bakers prefer electric ovens, it produces a dryer heat.
Wouldn't that mean the fumes from combustion will be going through your house too?
How does said humidity get into the air in your house and not all the other "by-products" of the combustion?
And for the original poster. Low canadian humidity will cause shrinkage on that wood. And as most canadians know winters can be dry in some areas. My house is like 30% average in the winter.
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I don't know where you live but it's the opposite here. Shrinks in the winter (low humidity) expands in the summer (high humidity). Either way if the oak flooring is the pre-finished type it should be stable.
Live in canada winnipeg manitoba temp. today -33
jake00
Well-known member
Some good Info, ESP the chart on page 3
http://www.goldenstateflooring.com/documents/waterandwood.pdf
http://www.goldenstateflooring.com/documents/waterandwood.pdf