Many of us opt for wooden flooring due to its beauty and durability. Installing a floor requires a considerable investment in time and materials.
With the appropriate techniques and tools, you can ensure your flooring will last a lifetime. Here are five common flooring issues and their fixes.
1. Abnormal Gaps
Wood flooring is susceptible to movement, but abnormal gaps are usually the result of installing flooring that is too wet, or the areas are excessively dry.
An aesthetic issue, abnormal gaps disrupt the look of the floor. Repair these gaps when the weather is humid and gaps are small, which avoids buckling when the temperature drops. To do this, glue slivers of wood at the edges of the floorboard.
For engineered flooring, contact a company such as https://www.woodfloorwarehouse.ie/engineered-flooring.html.
2. Cupping
Wood flooring edges cup when the board is damper underneath than at the top. This is particularly common when installing flooring over a wet crawlspace or basement.
A vapour retarder can be installed between the floorboards and the subfloor, which slows moisture migration. A trowel-applied membrane should also be added, particularly with wide planks.
3. Buckling
Floorboards buckle when they cannot expand, especially if they are exposed to large amounts of moisture or are not acclimated.
The floor can lift from the subfloor and crush together, expanding to pop trim from walls and move door frames.
Buckling is always due to moisture and can be caused by damp basements, installing the floor in conditions that are too dry, and flooding, which affects almost two million properties in the UK.
Improper fastening can aggravate buckling. Using a wrongly sized trowel can also lead to poor bonds.
Buckled floors can sometimes be refastened but will otherwise need to be replaced.
4. Peeling Finish
Finishes will peel if the floor was improperly prepped or contaminated when it was applied. To fix this, sand to bare wood and restart the finishing process.
5. Excessive Wear
A worn floor is uneven in colour and lacks sheen. In addition to household abuse and wear from pets and family, poor finishing techniques are also to blame.
If excessively worn over just a few years, it is likely that the floor was not sanded properly, not maintained correctly or the finish built up too quickly.
Flooring requires regular maintenance and cleaning to ensure it lasts.
