How To Fill Cracks In Hardwood Floors

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How To Fill Cracks In Hardwood Floors
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Introduction

• Hardwood floors are aesthetically pleasing and
  enhance the décor of any house. Keeping them well
  maintained can be quite challenging and when
  plank floors or tongue and groove hardwood become
  old they develop gaps. Many issues arise because
  of the gaps as these become dirt magnets and
  cleaning them is not simple. When these boards
  cups and curl they can cause falls or trip
  hazards.

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Hardwood Flooring Company Utah

• Depending on Hardwood Flooring Utah company is
  the only solution to deal with old wood flooring.
  When these floorboards are installed on the
  joists directly, gaps make a room feel drafty.
  So, when the airflow comes up from the crawlspace
  or basement the heating system has to work hard
  to pump heat and it is quite expensive. The
  developing issue also arises when one tries to
  fit the nickel on any of the gapped floorboards.
  You need a wood floor crack repair service at
  this time. Lets see why these gaps develop?

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Why Do the Gaps Develop?

• For wood flooring Gapping is a very common issue
  because wood shrinks with time. The problem
  arises because in the first place boards were not
  laid correctly initially when they were
  installed. Secondly, water causes a lot of damage
  to these floors. Firstly, the wood will swell and
  then they shrink. Finally, the wood dries out.
• Just like a furnace room, solid wood flooring
  that has excess heat below can develop gaps
  because of dry heat.

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Can You Fill The Gaps?

• You need to keep in mind that due to seasonal
  humidity changes wood contracts and expands. In
  the winter season you may not notice the gaps,
  but when the weather is humid one should leave
  the gaps as it is because if you fill cracks in
  hardwood floors at that time it will create
  problems because the wood will expand and
  contract again. In some cases, the boards can
  buckle if there is no room left for them to
  expand. This is the natural tendency of wood and
  you should fill them during the humid season.

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Wood Strips To Fill The Gaps

• Use a table saw to rip out the strips of the
  floorboards that are spare and if you cannot get
  the matching boards then choose the boards of the
  same species.
• First, you need to measure the length and width
  of each gap and then with the table saw rip the
  cut strips in the desired measurements, but use
  safety when using the table saw. Take the wood
  glue and apply it on the side of each strip. Now
  tap it in the gape gently with the hammer and let
  the glue dry. Then you can sand down the high
  spots in the strips. Do not damage the
  surrounding boards. Now stain the rest of the
  strips that match with the rest of the floor.

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Steps To Fill The Gaps

• For wide plank boards, a natural fibre rope is
  ideal to fill the large gaps. Stain the rope so
  it can blend with the floorboards. The gaps will
  become less noticeable. Just use jute, cotton, or
  a natural rope. Synthetic ropes cannot accept
  stain.
• First, take a screwdriver and scrape out the
  gaps. Use a tool to remove the junk, old putty,
  and dirt. Take care that you do not spoil the
  floorboard edges. With the help of a vacuum
  cleaner vacuum the dirt. Now, scrape and vacuum
  again till the gaps are clean.
• Choose the size of rope which is larger than the
  gap and then pour wood stain in the small bucket.
  Dip the rope in stain so it gets saturated. Now
  pull out the rope carefully so excess stain drops
  in the bucket itself. Lay the stained rope on the
  clean cardboard and let it dry properly. Make
  sure you do not expose the rope to heat or
  sunlight else it may catch fire. Along the gap
  string out the rope and then force it into the
  gap with the help of a tool or a putty knife.

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Rope To Fill The Gaps

• Choose the size of rope which is larger than the
  gap and then pour wood stain in the small bucket.
  Dip the rope in stain so it gets saturated. Now
  pull out the rope carefully so excess stain drops
  in the bucket itself. Lay the stained rope on the
  clean cardboard and let it dry properly. Make
  sure you do not expose the rope to heat or
  sunlight else it may catch fire. Along the gap
  string out the rope and then force it into the
  gap with the help of a tool or a putty knife.

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Final Word

• These are some ways to fill the gaps in the
  hardwood floor or else get in touch with the best
  Wood flooring Utah Company near your area to
  maintain your hardwood floors.