Changes in weather can wreak havoc on your wood floors, especially in the summertime. Specifically, changes in temperature and humidity may lead to swelling, cupping, or gaps in your wood floor. Use these tips from the wood flooring experts at SVB to prevent summer moisture issues from damaging your wood floors.
Has the humidity already taken over? Luckily, SVB provides top-of-the-line wood floor restoration for floors affected by water damage.
How to Control Humidity
Excess moisture content and severe changes in the humidity level in your home lead to most of the major moisture problems with hardwood floors. The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) suggests that humidity levels between 35 and 55 percent are best for your wood floors.
Too much moisture will lead to cupping; (see photo) you can identify cupping in your floors when the outsides of the boards are higher than the insides.
Not only is important to keep the humidity down in your home, but you should also keep it consistent. High fluctuations in humidity will lead to gaps in your floor. The best way to control your humidity is by adding a dehumidifier or perhaps two, depending on the size of your home. The dehumidifier will extract the moisture from the air, and prolong the life of your hardwood floors.
Helpful Hint: You should be especially concerned about wood floors on the ground level of your home because they are more prone to soaking up moisture from the ground.
How to Control Temperature
Hardwoods behave like many other solid materials with changes in temperature. When heated, they expand; when cooled they contract. Changes in temperature do not affect hardwoods as severely as moisture and humidity, but you should try to keep the temperature in your home fairly consistent for the best results with your hardwood floor. Continuous expansion and contraction weakens the wood.
Related Read: The 4 Seasons of Wood Floor Care
