How Tight Should Solid Wood Strip Flooring Edges Be to Each Other?
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Wood Flooring Must Be Tight Together
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Solid wood flooring strips should be installed as tightly together as possible. Flooring strips will come in tongue and groove or square edge styles, but both require a tight fit. They must be nailed in place, so it helps to have power to speed the process and tighten joints.
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Leave a Gap Around the Edges
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Solid wood absorbs water from the air, so the floor shifts and changes. If there is no expansion gap on the outside edge of the flooring, the interior will buckle and swell, and possibly break.
Bottom Line
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Solid wood strip flooring edges should be put together as tightly as possible. Professionals use pneumatic staplers, compressors, mallets and a tool called a powerjack to ensure a snug fit between the boards. The only place where there should be any gap in the flooring is around the edges where there should be a 3/4 inch expansion space. Use a wood spacer to maintain this space as the floor is installed.
References
- Photo Credit texture of red wood - can be used as background image by Elnur from Fotolia.com
