Credit: Forte Flooring, Emma and Red Deer
Living in the UK, wooden flooring is a popular choice for home decoration due to its natural texture and comfort. However, there can be some issues during use, such as noises when walking.
Have you ever encountered or heard about the phenomenon where certain parts of the wooden floor slightly lift or buckle? Today, let's take engineered wood flooring as an example to briefly analyze the causes and solutions for these issues.
Credit: Julia Filirovska on Pexels
Two Main Explanations for Slightly Buckled Wooden Floors:
1. The UK Climate
The UK is located in Western Europe and the eastern coast of the Atlantic. As a result, London is influenced by the North Atlantic Drift and prevailing westerly winds. This leads to a temperate maritime climate with minimal temperature variations between the four seasons. Summers are cool, while winters are relatively mild due to the humid air. The weather tends to be either rainy or foggy, which results in higher humidity levels. The moisture in the air is absorbed by the wooden floorboards, causing them to expand.
2. Resistance Between Floorboards
From a mechanical perspective, there is always resistance on both sides of the floorboards. This resistance can cause the wooden flooring to buckle or lift in the middle.
Examples of Slightly Buckled Wooden Floors in Our Project
Although there are other reasons that can cause wooden floors to exhibit the same phenomenon, some factors might not be immediately obvious.
Wiping with a Very Wet Cloth: Using a cloth soaked in water to clean the wooden floor can cause the surface to absorb moisture and expand.
Unoccupied and Poorly Ventilated Homes: In homes that have been unoccupied for a long time and lack proper ventilation, the underlying plaster layer can evaporate. When moisture is no longer absorbed, the wooden floor may take in water and expand as a result.
Inadequate Expansion Gaps: When installing wooden floors, if the expansion gaps between adjacent planks are not properly left, the floor can absorb moisture from the air and expand, causing it to buckle. This can even lead to cracks in the surface finish.
Large or Wide Floor Areas: For large or wide areas of flooring without any segmentation measures, the lack of proper division can lead to buckling.
Credit: from Pixabay on Pexel
Simple Solutions:
Remove the Baseboards: Take off the baseboards and use a saw to loosen the area of the floor where it is attached to the wall, leaving a gap. This will allow the buckled section to naturally flatten out.
For Larger Areas: For larger flooring areas, it is advisable to create expansion gaps in appropriate mid-sections. Use metal transition strips to connect the wooden floorboards.
Choose the Right Metal Transition Strips: Select suitable metal transition strips to join the wooden floor with stone flooring. However, ensure that the strips are not too narrow.
Looking to Replace the Wooden Flooring for Your Renovation Project?
Don’t worry—T Interiors | Tianrun Yishi can help answer your questions. Our experienced interior design team can assist you in choosing the most suitable wooden flooring materials, and our skilled installation team will ensure a perfect fit.
Feel free to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you!
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