Refinishing Hardwood Floors Gaps Between Boards

It is best to use fillers with few narrow gaps.

Refinishing hardwood floors gaps between boards. Using fillers such as putty powdered filler which is mixed to a putty or paste form or even caulking resolves gaps if done properly. The problem is magnified when the boards were not tightly laid in the first place. With older tongue and groove hardwood or even wide plank floors gaps inevitably develop between the boards mostly because the wood shrinks over time as it dries out and loses moisture content. If you have wide gaps in a wide plank wood floor using natural rope as a filler is a relatively easy and inexpensive option.

Another exacerbating condition is water damage. However as humidity changes and the floor expands and contracts the filler may actually be forced out. You can use a furnace powered humidifier or the portable ones. This restores moisture to the air and subsequently to your wood floors.

These methods not only fix the gaps but can also prevent drafts from coming up through the floor. Roughen up two test areas and then coat them with urethane to begin refinishing hardwood floors. Area with sanding screen. Pick at least two test areas on the floor.

If the gaps in your wood floor are smaller and more cosmetic a prefabricated wood filler or a wood dust and wood flour cement mix would be good options. As a result you are left with gaps between the boards. If you notice the problem soon enough you can often correct it by simply installing a humidifier in the affected area. The gaps that you have now are probably permanent.

You can use putty wood filler caulk or even long pieces of string or rope stained to match. The first step in refinishing most wood floors is sanding and there are two primary ways to go about it. Clean each area with a wood floor cleaner and roughen a 6 x 6 in. If done correctly these fillers made of putty or paste can fill in gaps to give your floors their original smooth finish.

One in a high traffic zone the other along a wall or in a closet. Do all this if you expect your solid wood floors to stay tight. The air absorbs what is left of the water in your wood and the boards shrink down. Method 1 using rope to fill in gaps.