Bruce prefinished 2.25 solid oak shrinkage question

[Billbill]

Hi. These solid 3/4"x 2.25" wide Bruce hardwood floors were installed in 2001. Not sure what the heck the last owner had going on but since we lived here for 2 years now we always keep the RH at 35-45% year round in the house.
I know gapping is typical due to environmental changes but these gaps are ALWAYS the same no regardless of time of year. Can't get them to close up even with higher RH levels in the house. So I'm thinking one thing...installation error.
Are gaps this size this typical with 2.25 strip flooring??? I ask because I know traditional hardwood is less prone to shrinkage because of its narrow width. See pics

 

[highup]

Where do you live..... Aproximately.
Summer to winter makes humidity changes. It's normal to have some gapping when humidity is low. if that area is near a heat vent a refrigerator other area of heat or air movement, I'd say it's normal.
Where you live will determine that.

 

[highup]

Also, how long have you lived in the house?
If only part of the year, you haven't seen the nomal seasonal changes. Wood grows and shrinks indoors just like a wood deck does outdoors. ...less by far, but wood changes during the seasons and no I installer is the blame.

 

[highup]

Just now saw that you've been there for a couple years.

 

[Billbill]

Just now saw that you've been there for a couple years.

Yes been here for 2 years and have always maintained a constant RH indoors 35% winter and around 40-50% in summer. Nothing to justify such large gaps, can almost fit 2 cents between some boards! It's as if even after 2 yrs, they won't close up which is why I say installation error. Either that or the air trapped between the subfloor and basement ceiling (fully finished basement sheetrock ceiling), is so dry that it's over drying them from the bottom??? I guess that would explain the crowning I have in some spots whereas the top sees more moisture than the underside.

 

[havasu]

Sounds like the original installer failed to acclimate the flooring properly before laying it down.

 

[highup]

Might let the humidity go as high as 45 to 55 percent and see if anything changes.
You may be right if the gaps never close up.
Do you know if the heating system was ever replaced with a type that reduced the humidity.
My brother bought a heat pump water heater. It was in the laundry room. Soon after installing it, the miter joints in the homes painted wood trims started gapping.

 

[Billbill]

Might let the humidity go as high as 45 to 55 percent and see if anything changes.
You may be right if the gaps never close up.
Do you know if the heating system was ever replaced with a type that reduced the humidity.
My brother bought a heat pump water heater. It was in the laundry room. Soon after installing it, the miter joints in the homes painted wood trims started gapping.

Nope it's the original 3t HE furnace. Has a built in bypass humidifier on the return but I have never turned it on because I believe those can do more harm than good if not monitored daily

 

[highup]

But did the previous owner have the humidifier functioning?

 

[DarisMulkin]

Sounds like the original installer failed to acclimate the flooring properly before laying it down.

I have the same problem in my house. Only my wood was stored under a bed on the same floor for a year before I had it installed. It wasn't a couple months after installation that it started gapping. Honestly I didn't keep the humidity to th 40-55% level forever like recomended. Got gaps where in one spot I can see the edge of the cleat holding it down. Once it has shrunk to that point It won't come back. Mine has been down 15 years now and I have learned to live with it and really don't notice it anymore. The only thing I notice is the finish is wearing off on a floor that had a 20 year warranty.

 

[highup]

I have the same problem in my house. Only my wood was stored under a bed on the same floor for a year before I had it installed. It wasn't a couple months after installation that it started gapping. Honestly I didn't keep the humidity to th 40-55% level forever like recomended. Got gaps where in one spot I can see the edge of the cleat holding it down. Once it has shrunk to that point It won't come back. Mine has been down 15 years now and I have learned to live with it and really don't notice it anymore. The only thing I notice is the finish is wearing off on a floor that had a 20 year warranty.

That's interesting.
I'm betting you and Bill have large humidity swings summer to winter.

 

[Billbill]

That's interesting.
I'm betting you and Bill have large humidity swings summer to winter.

Absolutely! It's only been maintained for the year I've been living there. There's no telling what the last owner neglected and the fact that they would leave for months at a time and leave house vacant only adds truth to it.
I did discover the humidifier with a cal crusted filter that looked like it hasn't been used in years. Don't even wanna know why for whatever reason they decided to stop using it because that's probably another fun surprise lol

 

[DarisMulkin]

My daughter had the same type system for a humidfyer. Hers had a switch for summer and winter and of coarse the filter had to be replace each year. Was a pia and just replace the furnace a month or so ago and trashed the system.

 

[Billbill]

My daughter had the same type system for a humidfyer. Hers had a switch for summer and winter and of coarse the filter had to be replace each year. Was a pia and just replace the furnace a month or so ago and trashed the system.

What do u mean by trashed the system?

 

[DarisMulkin]

Threw it out when I got the new furnace. Think about it, the only time it works is when the furnace is running. A portable has a sensor when humidy is needed.

 

[highup]

Absolutely! It's only been maintained for the year I've been living there. There's no telling what the last owner neglected and the fact that they would leave for months at a time and leave house vacant only adds truth to it.
I did discover the humidifier with a cal crusted filter that looked like it hasn't been used in years. Don't even wanna know why for whatever reason they decided to stop using it because that's probably another fun surprise lol

I live on the Oregon coast and humidity changes from Summer to Winter don't change a lot. Use my term "a lot" at at your discretion.
We don't have a clue what 25 percent humidity is. I'm not sure if that number even exists in nature.
I am currently working in a 1960's home that has oak floors. The heat had been off for over a month. No gapping, cupping or crowning at all. The location is 1000 feet from the bay. If the humidity dropped to 10 percent for a month or two I'm sure the floor would talk to the owner.
The floor is about ready to be refinished.

 

[Billbill]

I live on the Oregon coast and humidity changes from Summer to Winter don't change a lot. Use my term "a lot" at at your discretion.
We don't have a clue what 25 percent humidity is. I'm not sure if that number even exists in nature.
I am currently working in a 1960's home that has oak floors. The heat had been off for over a month. No gapping, cupping or crowning at all. The location is 1000 feet from the bay. If the humidity dropped to 10 percent for a month or two I'm sure the floor would talk to the owner.
The floor is about ready to be refinished.

Yeah that old wood is much better quality then stuff that's used even 20yrs ago. That 50yr old wood is different

 

[highup]

Yeah that old wood is much better quality then stuff that's used even 20yrs ago. That 50yr old wood is different

Here's some interesting wood info. Look at a place nearest to where you live and note month to month seasonal changes. Page 3 of the download.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/37419

 

[Billbill]

Here's some interesting wood info. Look at a place nearest to where you live and note month to month seasonal changes. Page 3 of the download.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/37419

Great info thanks for sharing that link. I'm closest to Chicago. Looking at the data, it shows woods moisture content being lower during the summer months and higher in the dry winter months, if I'm reading that correctly. I thought that should be the opposite. Why would wood have higher moisture % in winter given the fact that winter is the dry season and summer is the humid season?!

 

[highup]

Billbill, look at coastal areas on that list.
I live in Oregon. A few miles as the crow flys to the Pacific ocean. Winter is wet and high humidity. Summer is slightly less humid.
Years ago I thought people who posted on flooring forums were crazy when they said that wood shrunk in the winter.
Depends on where you live.
We expand in the winters here on the coast... take that comment any way you want to.
when I first discovered that info, I learned that coastal areas all have similar conditions.... not just here where I live, but worldwide.
A light bulb came on in my head...... way back then, probably incandescent.
Humidity levels in wood or moisture content in wood near the coast don't change a lot month to month.
Once you go even 10 to 20 miles inland from the coastline, the changes can be very intense, meaning wood flooring Installation requirements and home heating and humidity levels become much more important than where I live.
We have a very mild climate. Winter lows averaging 32 to 42 and summer highs 65 to 75.
I have seen 9 degrees and even 103 here. Those are records.
I agree that wood was better in the old days before genetic 'improvements' made trees grow 4x faster than nature intended.
Yes, that's some neat info..... at least the parts that I can comprehend.