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Southern Pine Home

Southern Pine Flooring: Troubleshooting Guide

Floor Board Separation

Floor board separation or “cracks” under normal circumstances are to be expected in any wood floor. Plank floors, especially, shrink up to 2.5 times more than strip floors. Floor board separation is normal under the following circumstances:
Board gaps found during dry winter months close and disappear in spring.
In strip floors, separations up to the thickness of a dime are normal.
Panelizing caused by subfloor movement. Panelizing can also be caused by the finish material cementing several board coarses together, creating fewer cracks. Consequently, the resulting cracks may be wider than a dime’s thickness.

Troubleshooting Guide
PROBLEM	CAUSE(S)	REMEDY
Floor board separation	Dryer air from the home's heating system If floor was acclimated during wet conditions and then installed, the building was not ready for flooring. The structure was not in its occupied condition when the flooring was delivered. Equilibrium moisture content occurred after the floor was installed. Inadequate nail spacing Floor does not have a sealing finish.	Not a defect in the floor, if the boards expand in the summer months, closing the separation. If flooring has a polyurethane finish, a polyurethane filler can be troweled into the floor gaps. Face-nail boards every 8" to 10", countersink and fill holes. Refer to Table 2, under Flooring Installation. Stabilize the environment establishing the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) and apply a sealing finish.
Floor board buckling	Inadequate crawl space ventilation, unprepared building (windows and/or doors not installed when flooring was delivered), inadequate nailing, missing or improper vapor barriers.	Moisture-related solutions include adding adequate ventilation, installing a vapor barrier in crawl space, checking foundation for water drainage.
Floor board cupping (convex) board edges higher than center	Site-related moisture conditions (see floor board buckling causes)	Locate and correct moisture causing element.
Floor board cupping (concave) board edges are lower than center	Floor boards were sanded when cupped. Later, when the floor loses moisture, the underneath side of the boards lay flat exposing the reverse cupping.	Locate and correct moisture cause. Allow building components to dry thoroughly.
Squeaking floors	Inadequate nailing of either the boards or the subfloor	Locate cause and renail. Refer to Table 2, under Flooring Installation