Hardwood floors with their natural aesthetics and incredible durability are practical and excellent floor covering choices for both offices and homes. These floors can add warmth, texture, and style to, and enhance the resale value of your property. However, after the installation of this flooring treatment in your home, at some point you are likely to notice some gaps that inevitably develop between the floorboards. The most common reason behind these gaps is moisture and humidity in a place.
While most of the gaps are not usually visible, some of them are still large enough to cause severe problems, resulting in diminishing the overall strength and integrity of the hardwood flooring. That’s because the hardwood floor board gaps tend to accumulate dirt, dust, allergens and moisture in worst case scenarios, which in turn results in the growth of mold and mildew.
However, the good news is that those gaps can be easily addressed and you don’t even need professional assistance for this purpose. This exactly is our discussion today at Mats Dubai, i.e. DIY fixing of hardwood flooring gaps.
Step By Step Guide To Fill The Floorboard Gaps By Yourself
Before you begin the process of filling gaps on your hardwood floors, make sure that you have the appropriate tools at hand. The equipment and supplies needed for each approach have been mentioned so you can choose the one that is most practical for you.
1. Assess The Situation
First, you have to examine the condition of your wood floors. In extremely hot climates, the moisture inside wood is lost, hence, causing the wood to shrink. Whereas, the wood can swell or expand in the winter when there is too much moisture present. However, if the gaps are minor enough to be unsighted, it’s also okay to not fix them.
But if these holes and gaps are big enough to trap stuff, then you’ve got a problem that needs to be solved. You can wait for a few days if it’s very dry or humid, and treat them in moderate weather conditions.
Methods To Fill Minor To Major Gaps In Hardwood Floors
Firstly, ensure that the floor is properly cleaned and dust-free for the repair process, and afterwards you can choose any of the 3 methods mentioned ahead to remove the gaps from hardwood floors.
1. Patching With Wood Putty
Patching with wood putty is the best and easiest way to fix the small gaps. Any minor gap can be quickly filled with wood putty.
Supplies
- Sander
- Stain
- Wood putty
- Putty Knife
Clean The Floor & Apply Wood Putty
First, properly clean your floorboards with a damp cloth. Make sure to clean both sides of the gaps to remove any dirt or stains. You can buy wood putty from a nearby store or make your own wood filler. Apply the fine bead of wood putty over the minor gap or hole on your hardwood floors.
To make the wood putty go down in the gap, you can use your fingers and work in a circular motion. You can also use any blunt object or putty knife to force the putty down in the gap. Remove the excess with a knife and leave it in place until it hardens. Make sure to not scratch the floor finish while using a knife.
2. Fill Gaps With Rope Filler
A natural fiber robe is effective to fill the large gaps in wooden floors. Make sure to use the natural rope as synthetic rope cannot be stained.
Supplies
- Stains
- Wood glue
- Jute rope
- Putty Knife
- Bucket Or Bowl
Clean Gaps Stain The Rope & Fill
To remove the dirt and aged wood putty from the hole, use the flathead screwdriver. Continue scraping or vacuuming the space until it is free, being careful to avoid damaging the margins of adjacent floors. Pick the rope that has a diameter a little bit larger than the opening.
Put a wood stain to a bucket that matches the hue of your hardwood flooring, then soak a rope in it until it is completely saturated. Remove the rope with care while allowing any extra wood stain to drip back into the bucket. Spread the rope across the opening, insert it correctly with a knife, and allow it to dry. Use a sharp knife to cut away the extra rope.
3. Use Wood Stripes To Fix the Floorboard Gaps
In this method, you will need to use the table saw to cut the wood stripes to the size of the gap. Using this method, you can fill out the major gaps in your hardwood flooring.
Supplies
- Sander
- Table Saw
- Stain
- Spare Floorboard
- Rubber Mallet
- Tape Measure
Cut, Glue, Sand, & Stain The Wood Stripes
Check to see whether you have any leftover wooden floorboards; if not, you’ll need to get one that matches the present one from the manufacturer. To ensure a precise fit, measure the length and breadth of the gap and use the table saw to cut the floorboards to those dimensions.
Apply wood glue to the strip’s back and front to hold it in place. The rubber mallet may be used to gently tap the strip into the opening. Use any moist cloth to remove the extra glue from the sides, then wait for it to dry. To avoid damaging the adjacent boards, gently plane down the strips’ high or uneven areas. These hardwood strips should be stained to resemble the current floor.
Final Thoughts
With the seasonal variation in humidity and temperature, the wooden flooring starts to expand and contract. If you are bothered by the minor gaps after the installation of hardwood floors, there are different ways to fill those gaps. Wood putty is the easiest way to fill the gaps in the wooden floor. Besides, you can use wood strips and a rope for this purpose.
Based on your personal choice, you can use any method to fix the hardwood flooring gaps. In the end, you will need to sand the floors for the finishing. Allow the floors to dry completely and you will be done with fixing the hardwood flooring gaps.
