My Hardwood Floor Is Cracking

Movement in the flooring system is generally the cause of noises in hardwood flooring.

My hardwood floor is cracking.

Two main factors were causing the problems. Fortunately this is not a common occurrence. In either case strategies for. Creaking sounds may come from the subfloor or from the wood flooring itself.

A damp crawlspace is under your flooring. Generally creaking floors are not caused by settling or soil movement however you may want to check your foundation for cracks or other problems. Several factors can lead to its cause. If you have a very damp crawlspace the moisture can seep through the subfloor.

At times some floors appear to amplify creaking sounds and make them sound much worse than they really are. The example to the right shows a nickel sized gap. This could happen for a number of reasons including. This can cause your floors to take on the moisture and then release it into the room resulting in hardwood floor splitting.

Working in one to two foot sections spread a thin. Simply abrading the floor and applying a new top coat might not fix the problem. If you have cracks in your hardwood floor the problem is likely to be low humidity and low moisture in the room causing the wood to dry out. Creaking popping and snapping sounds can emanate from a hardwood floor that has been nailed to a wood subfloor as well as one that has been glued to concrete.

Gapping occurs when wood floors lose their moisture content. Buckling occurs when the wood flooring actually pulls up from the subfloor lifting several inches in one or more places. 1 the staples were very close together and splits along the tongue were produced as the staples were driven. Floor buckling happens most often after a floor has been flooded for an extended period of time.

Floor buckling is the most extreme reaction to moisture in a hardwood floor. If using liquid wax pour or squeeze a tablespoon from the can or bottle directly onto the hardwood floor then dip the mop head into the wax. Solutions for the creaking range from sprinkling talcum powder on the floorboards to screwing down the boards or even the subfloor. Open fires log burners underfloor heating system running too hot and also the frequent use of air conditioning units.

You probably don t have as many enemies as the tokugawas so the creaking squeaking and cracking sounds from your hardwood or laminate floor are just an annoyance. By examining it from a layman s view.