Why do wooden floors over-expand?

Question

What causes wood or laminate floors to over-expand? What can be done to prevent this or if it’s already happened, what can be done to resolve this? Thank you for your time.

Klaudjol · Accepted Answer

It is for this reason that wooden floors need an expansion gap.  Solid wood floors take in moisture when there is a high level of humidity in the air and let that moisture go when the humidity reduces.  High humidity in the wood causes it to expand.  Low, or reducing humidity causes it to contract.  When the wood expands, it may be that any small gaps disappear but when the wood contracts the gaps will typically reappear.  This is entirely normal.

Either way, it is absolutely essential to leave an expansion gap around the perimeter of your room when laying a wood floor.  Expansion gaps should be around 15mm to allow the wood to expand and contract without suffering any sort of distortion.  If you don’t leave this gap, when your floor expands it could well rise, causing damage.

Tom · Answer

Floors expand ad shrink with temperature change. You stop this happening by leaving an expansion gap when fitting and letting the material climatic in the house prior to fitting.

Kieran · Answer

Would be caused my not enough expansion gap being left depending on how early you have caught it, it might be possible to save by uplifting making sure enough expansion space is left and relaying, but do expect some boards to be to damaged and also some to get damaged in uplift.

Stephen · Answer

It could be not enough time to acclimatise to the property or young wood .not enough expansion gap

Thomas · Answer

Simple things like spilling water on wood can make it swell up as it dries and this causes it to expand. When fitting laminate there should be an expansion gap underneath the skirting

Bomper · Answer

It expending because of the material dilatation to avoid that you have to leave a gap between the laminate and the skirting in every corner

Why do wooden floors over-expand?

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