One of the most common problems people run into with hardwood flooring, especially as the wood ages, is the growth of gaps between each board. This might occur due to water damage because the boards were incorrectly tightened or due to physical force.
Unfortunately, many homeowners try to ignore the problem, preferring to delay any restoration work for as long as possible. This is never something you should do, and here are just five reasons why.
1. Makes Cleaning Harder
Without your boards meeting up properly, cleaning is going to become next to impossible. After all, running a brush over the flooring is just going to sweep dust and other debris between your floorboards and into the space below. That might not sound like a big problem, but dust can recirculate and aggravate allergies, and any small pieces of food or other organic matter getting stuck can result in the development of mould.
2. Allows for Pests to Enter
One of the biggest fears that property owners face when they install hardwood floors is finding them being consumed by termites. Unfortunately, there are all kinds of other creepy crawlies that inhibit Australia, and having spaces between your floorboards makes it easier for all sorts of bugs to work their way through and into other parts of your home.
3. Decreases Energy Efficiency
Hardwood flooring isn't as good at insulating your home as carpet, and having gaps between boards can seriously exacerbate that problem. Draughts will rise up through those gaps, providing a continuous cycle of cold air into the room. That won't just make your feet chilly; your heating system is also going to have to work harder and consume more energy in order to maintain a comfortable temperature.
4. Allows Moisture to Penetrate
While dust and food debris can be a concern when they get underneath your flooring, any kind of moisture is much worse. If you drop a glass of water and see the liquid seeping easily through the gaps between your floorboards, you have subjected the area below to excess moisture, which can damage structural surfaces and cause swelling. The floorboards themselves are likely to swell, so the gaps could become even worse.
5. Presents a Tripping Hazard
Finally, any gaps between boards can present a tripping hazard. It's easy enough for a toe or slipper to get momentarily stuck, and that's all it can take for a fall to occur. Since hardwood boards are harder than other flooring materials, a fall can be far more serious.
Share9 December 2016
Our cafe has a funky and bright colour scheme. It's hard to find the right flooring option as we have a lot of foot traffic and bright colours can look dull when we have had a busy period. It also tends to fade when we have to use heavy strength cleaning chemicals on heavier messes. Recently we have started exploring some non-traditional flooring options such as flooring based on recycled plastics and rubber based plastics with poured patterns. It looks really good. This blog talks about some of the flooring options that are available for high traffic areas, including some of the newer and non-traditional materials you can use.
