Floor Boards Shrinking – Find Out Why
Art of Clean, the Cambridgeshire based wood floor sanding affiliate to Ultimate floor sanding has had a real interesting encounter recently. Here is their story:
An engineered oak floor was sanded and sealed using Pallmann’s high end primer and lacquer finish in the late summer of 2015. Our client just had a new kitchen installed and when the old kitchen cupboards got removed he noticed the lighter floor where the old units covered the floor. He loved this so much he asked Art of Clean in Cambridge to come in and sand and finish the engineered wooden floor.
We finished the floor sanding and the client was really happy with the outcome.
Not to worry – We are here to help! so Pierre went off to inspect the wood floor. We conducted the investigation using Tramex high end moisture and temperature meters
and we discovered that the room is very warm and that the relative
humidity in the air was very low. This basically means the air is very
dry; therefore the wood floor will let go of moisture retained inside of
it, in turn this will cause the boards to shrink in size.
Once the relative humidity has increased the floor boards will reach equilibrium with the air surrounding it and will return back to normal.
This is one example of why it is so important to choose a professional, experienced, wood floor sanding company. The Ultimate Two Year Guarantee on our work means that our contractors will do a thorough investigation to understand the cause of problems and our experience means we will find the right solution to solve any issues. That’s why our customers say we provide the ultimate peace of mind!.
This article was written by Pierre de Wet at Art of Clean, thanks to Pierre and his team for sharing this case study.
For professional wood floor restoration in Cambridge and surrounding areas including Newmarket, Saffron Walden, Ely, Huntingdon and Haverhill please call Art of Clean on 01223863632
If you are looking for an Ultimate Floor Sanding Company recommended floor sanding contractor in your local area, please check out our Find a Provider page.
Looking for the most up-to-date advice? Read our updated blog on this topic "Why Are My Floorboards Shrinking?"
An engineered oak floor was sanded and sealed using Pallmann’s high end primer and lacquer finish in the late summer of 2015. Our client just had a new kitchen installed and when the old kitchen cupboards got removed he noticed the lighter floor where the old units covered the floor. He loved this so much he asked Art of Clean in Cambridge to come in and sand and finish the engineered wooden floor.
To ensure we delivered the lightest finish possible we specified Pall x 325, a water based primer followed by Pall x Extreme with hardener as the lacquer,
Explains Pierre de Wet, the owner of Art of Clean
Our team worked extremely had on restoring the floor and took great
care sanding around the newly fitted kitchen. In most cases it is far
better to get your kitchen wood floor sanded and finished BEFORE you fit
a new kitchen as this eliminates the risk of scuffmarks to your new
units.We finished the floor sanding and the client was really happy with the outcome.
Floor Boards Shrinking – 6 Months Later
About 6 months later Art of Clean received a call and the client expressed their concerns that some gaps had formed between the wooden boards in the kitchen.
Not to worry – We are here to help! so Pierre went off to inspect the wood floor. We conducted the investigation using Tramex high end moisture and temperature meters
and we discovered that the room is very warm and that the relative
humidity in the air was very low. This basically means the air is very
dry; therefore the wood floor will let go of moisture retained inside of
it, in turn this will cause the boards to shrink in size.Change in Relative Air Humidity caused Gaps
It was at this point that the client shared the fact that following the kitchen install they also had the old boiler replaced. It all suddenly made sense. Due to a much more efficient boiler the room is much warmer and dryer. Our advice was to turn down the heating and allow some air movement by opening windows.Once the relative humidity has increased the floor boards will reach equilibrium with the air surrounding it and will return back to normal.
Why the Ultimate Guarantee is Important
Had an inexperienced floor sander been contacted about this problem they might have opted to fill the gaps and re-finish the floor. The problem with this solution is that once summer comes and the floor absorbs moisture from the air again, the wood floor will start to expand. As the gaps have been filled, the floor will buckle as it expands.This is one example of why it is so important to choose a professional, experienced, wood floor sanding company. The Ultimate Two Year Guarantee on our work means that our contractors will do a thorough investigation to understand the cause of problems and our experience means we will find the right solution to solve any issues. That’s why our customers say we provide the ultimate peace of mind!.
What to do if you notice gaps in your wooden floor:
Always consider what might cause the change in the environment.
- Was a new boiler fitted?
- Have living arrangements changed – If you are at home more and the heating is on during the day it will have an impact on the air in your home.
- In some cases rugs on floors can cause heat to get trapped especially if you have under floor heating on your wooden floor.
- Is your cleaning process leaving too much water on the wooden floor – that can cause swelling of the floor boards
This article was written by Pierre de Wet at Art of Clean, thanks to Pierre and his team for sharing this case study.
For professional wood floor restoration in Cambridge and surrounding areas including Newmarket, Saffron Walden, Ely, Huntingdon and Haverhill please call Art of Clean on 01223863632
If you are looking for an Ultimate Floor Sanding Company recommended floor sanding contractor in your local area, please check out our Find a Provider page.
