My solid wood floor is bulging and lifting in the middle of my room.
If you have installed solid wood flooring and you’re finding that it’s bulging and lifting in the middle of your room, you’re not alone. Solid wood flooring which bulges and lifts in the middle of rooms is, unfortunately, a relatively common problem. More often than not, the root of the problem lies with the initial installation of the solid wood flooring.
Wood, as you are aware, is a completely natural product and as such expands and contracts with changes in atmospheric conditions. It is for this reason that solid wood floors need an expansion gap. If solid wood floors are fitted without an expansion gap, problems, which can sometimes be severe, are likely to arise.
Solid wood flooring takes in moisture when there is a high level of humidity in the air and then the flooring lets that moisture go when the humidity in the atmosphere reduces again. When humidity is high, the wood expands. Low, or reducing humidity causes the wood to contract again. This expansion and contraction process is entirely normal with solid wood flooring.
In a domestic setting, particularly in centrally heated homes, floors expand and contract with the seasons. During winter months, when you switch the central heating on, wooden floors lose moisture and will contract. The result is often slight gaps between the boards. In the warmer months, when the heating is switched off, the wood will expand again. The rising moisture in the air, which is absorbed by the floor, causes this.
When this happens, if any gaps have appeared over the winter months, they will more than likely disappear. This natural process of expansion and contraction is unlikely to pose any sort of damage or distortion to your solid wood floor as long as it has been well fitted, with the requisite expansion gap.
If you are having problems with your floor bulging and lifting in the middle of your room, the chances are that the required expansion gap has not been allowed for during your flooring installation. In order to illustrate, when a floor expands and touches a wall or door frame (known in the trade as a “pinch point”), the boards come under pressure, causing them to rise. This is more than likely the cause of bulging and lifting of your floorboards in the middle of your room. If bulging and lifting doesn’t disappear there is a route you can take.
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FAQ
1. Why is my solid wood floor bulging and lifting in the middle of the room?
The bulging and lifting of your solid wood floor in the middle of your room is likely due to the lack of an expansion gap during the installation of the flooring. The expansion gap allows for the natural expansion and contraction of the wood due to changes in atmospheric conditions.
2. What causes solid wood flooring to expand and contract?
Wood is a natural material that absorbs moisture when there’s a high level of humidity in the air and releases that moisture when the humidity decreases. This absorption and release of moisture cause the wood to expand and contract respectively. In homes with central heating, this typically occurs with the changing seasons.
3. What happens if solid wood floors are installed without an expansion gap?
If solid wood floors are installed without an expansion gap, problems are likely to arise. The wood may come under pressure as it expands, leading to distortion and damage to the floor. This can cause the floor to bulge and lift in the middle of the room.
4. What is a “pinch point” in wood flooring installation?
A “pinch point” in wood flooring installation is a point where the expanding floor comes into contact with a wall or door frame. This can put the floorboards under pressure, causing them to rise and resulting in bulging and lifting in the middle of the room.
5. What happens to solid wood flooring in different seasons?
During winter months, when you switch the central heating on, wooden floors lose moisture and contract, which often results in slight gaps between the boards. In the warmer months, when the heating is switched off, the wood expands again due to the rising moisture in the air. If the flooring has been well-fitted with the required expansion gap, this natural process shouldn’t pose any damage or distortion to your solid wood floor.