Once you have decided to install parquet flooring in your house, you opt for an investment for a lifetime. The wooden flooring will add value to your home and will make it look stylish and elegant. But because of the natural material, it is produced from, it undergoes natural processes of contracting and expanding. You have to be aware of this when you decide to install such flooring in your home, and with the methods, used for controlling them.
The planks of the natural wooden flooring contract and expand as a result of the weather conditions, humidity, and heat in the room, and this process is inevitable during the time of its usage. You can not stop the processes, but some methods will help you limit them and control them. Sometimes these contractions and expansions may not be visible and you will hardly notice them. But have in mind the tips we are going to list, to have them under control.
What is the reason, causing the planks of your flooring to contract and expand? The humidity in the house is the main source of the appearance of contractions and expansions. You should keep in mind that the level of moisture in your home in the summer months is higher, because the windows of your home are open for the whole day, and there is no heating. The result of this process is the expansion of the floor planks.
In the winter, the heating in your home is turned on, and this is the reason why the humidity is not present in your home – the heaters that you use make the air dry. And as a result of this, the planks of your floor are more likely to contract. If you see little spaces between the boards, do not worry – in the summer months when the levels of humidity increase again, they will disappear.
But there are some things that you can do, to limit these natural movements of the wooden flooring as much as possible. In the summer months, try to control the humidity in your house. You should keep the temperature in the rooms around 20°C to regulate the expansions.
You have to keep the windows in the summer open for around 20 minutes per day. In this way, you will allow the circulation of fresh air in the room, and you will be able to control the humidity. When it is cold outside, try to put a metal bowl, full of water, on the radiator, or use a humidifier, to increase the humidity. Its best value for your home is around 60%.
