Seasonal Floor Changes - Gaps

The cold of winter has arrived in Minnesota which means our homes are closed up, the heat is on, and the dryness has set in. As humans, we know that our skin dries up when our environment does not have enough humidity and it can be quite uncomfortable. Did you know that low humidity has the same effect on your hardwood floors?

When you install hardwood floors in your home, you are installing a piece of nature. The beauty of hardwood floors lies in their uniqueness and natural essence, but this natural element will also change throughout its time as your floor.

When moisture levels are low in your home, you can see gaps appear between your floor boards that were never there before. These gaps are completely normal and the cause is simple. When your home is lacking in moisture, it sucks the natural moisture from your hardwood floors, so they shrivel up a bit. The size of the gaps depends on your particular floor: “In general, how much solid wood flooring shrinks is directly proportional to its width. For example, in identical scenarios, an 8” wide plainsawn plank of white oak flooring will shrink twice as much as a 4” plank of the same cut and species” (Hardwood Floors Magazine).

The good news is that these gaps will more than likely disappear with the seasonal changes, but there are steps you can take during the winter to reduce gaps in your floors and make your overall living environment more comfortable as well!

Install Whole Home Humidifier

Whole home humidifiers are relatively inexpensive and simple to install. They can either be standalone that you fill with water or you can even install one on your furnace. These humidifiers will keep the humidity level in your home at the recommended level of 30-50% which will keep your floors happy and can also improve your family’s health by reducing dust mites, allergens, and likelihood of respiratory illnesses.

Turn off the Exhaust Fans

Another easy way to keep humidity in your home during winter is by retiring your bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans for the season. By allowing the moisture from showering or boiling water to stay in your home, you are adding moisture to the air by just performing your daily tasks.

We hope you find these tips helpful and that you have a better understanding of the seasonal changes your floors experience during Fall and Winter.

Let's Talk Rugs

Hardwood floors have a rustic elegance that you cannot find with any other flooring type, okay maybe we are a little biased. Adding a beautiful collection of rugs to your hardwood floors increases the beauty and warmth in your home.

Let’s dive into some of our favorite places to put your rugs throughout your home for added beauty and to protect your floors.

Entry Way

Entry ways are the perfect place to put a rug on your hardwood floors. These are high-traffic areas that see a lot of dirt and other debris from shoes or animal paws.

Pro TIp: Do not put rugs with rubber bottoms on your hardwood floors. This does not allow your floor to breathe if water gets under them and can cause water damage to your hardwood investment.

Living Rooms

Living rooms are another high-traffic area but they are also a room in the home where you want to feel completely comfortable. Adding a rug will increase warmth and make your guests feel right at home!

Bedrooms

Bedrooms are another perfect place for a comfortable rug. Add depth to your room and avoid the shock of cold floors in the morning with an oversized rug under your bed!

Just a reminder: The National Wood Flooring Association recommends waiting six weeks to lay rugs down on a newly finished hardwood floor. It is also good practice to check and clean under rugs twice monthly.

Hardwood Flooring Care Guide

Cleaning

One of the best things about hardwood floors is that we can wash them. This makes for a cleaner, healthier home that we can all feel good about living in. However, the cleaning agent you use on your hardwood floors actually harm them. Many of the hardwood cleaning products on the market are oil based – these are a big no-no! The solution you should use to clean your floors should be very simple and always highly diluted with water. We recommend using a 25/1 water to vinegar ratio, or an all-purpose cleaning solution that is not oil based (we use Mr.Clean), mixed with water to the same ratio. For a great mop kit that includes a washable cover, contact us to order today!

Scratch Prevention

Furniture and hardwood floors unfortunately don’t mix well. Items like chairs, couches, and ottomans can really scratch a floor. To prevent these scratches from occurring, we highly recommend putting floors pads on all of the furniture that you put on your hardwood floors. We sell the following floor pad size options:

·         1" round - 12 per pack - $3.99 + tax

·         1 1/2" round - 6 per pack - $3.99 + tax

·         3 1/2" x 5/8" strips - 6 per pack - $3.99 + tax

·         1/2" x 36" roll - 1 per pack - $3.99 + tax

·         3 1/2" x 4 3/4 pad - 1 per pack - $3.99 + tax

And remember, you should change your floor pads whenever they start to look really worn down.  

Buff & Coat

After a few years of wear and tear, your floor will start to show scratches, light spots from the sun, and many other little “beauty marks” that come from a busy home. Instead of letting your floors go too long, which would require a complete refinishing, we recommend getting a buff and coat once every three to five years. The buff and coat process adds an extra layer of poly to your floors to hide imperfections and add an additional layer of protection. This process not only brings new life to your floors, but it will also save you hundreds of dollars in the long run!

Refinishing

Refinishing your floors is much more in-depth process, but the results are incredible! The refinishing process involves sanding your floors which will completely remove the original finish, and also take out almost all scratches. You then add a new finish, which gives you the opportunity to completely change the look of your floors if you want to! Most solid hardwood floors can be refinished around ten times in their lifetime.

We hope this guide to caring for your hardwood floors helps you care for and extend the beauty of your floors for decades to come!

Want to schedule a buff and coat or refinishing? Call Neva today to set up an estimate! 763-428-8601