Why every Iowa floor opens in January
When the furnace runs, indoor air drops under 25 percent relative humidity and the boards give up moisture and narrow. The floor has the same number of boards and slightly less total width, so the difference shows up as gaps at the seams.
On a 2-1/4 inch strip floor a normal winter gap is about the thickness of a dime, spread fairly evenly across the room. In March it closes again.
- How it is done
- even gaps across the room are seasonal; one wide gap is not
- What goes on the floor
- n/a
- Ready to use
- n/a
- Typical cost
- n/a
- Service life
- n/a
Normal gaps against gaps that are not
The version that is not normal is one wide gap while the rest are tight. That means several boards have moved together as a group, which happens when they are stuck to each other with adhesive or paint, or when the floor was laid too tight to begin with.
Also not normal is a gap that is still open in July, or a board with one side sitting higher than its neighbour. The first says the boards were laid wet and have permanently shrunk, the second says the subfloor has moved.
The fix for normal winter gaps is a whole-house humidifier, not filler. Filler forced into a January gap is squeezed out or splits a board edge the following August.
Filling gaps in the wrong month
The expensive mistake is having gaps filled in winter by someone who does not ask what month it is. Come summer the boards expand into filler that will not compress, and the pressure lifts board edges across the room.
Where we work
We cover Des Moines, the western suburbs, the Ankeny corridor and the older neighbourhoods inside the city, including and 18 more areas.
Questions we get asked about winter gaps in hardwood floors
Are winter gaps normal in Iowa?
Yes, on every hardwood floor in the state. Thin, even, and they close in spring.
Should I fill them?
Not the seasonal ones. Only gaps that are still open in mid-summer are worth filling.
How do I stop them?
Add humidity in winter. A furnace-mounted humidifier holding the house above 35 percent is the whole answer.
Get a free estimate
Tell us what you need. We answer the same day, the free estimate is on site, and nobody chases you afterwards.
Get your floor looked at
Call and we will come out, measure, and leave you a written quote. There is no charge for the visit and no obligation afterwards.