Filling Large Gaps In Hardwood Floors

Choose a wood filler with a thick putty like consistency if you ll be filling larger gaps.

Filling large gaps in hardwood floors.

Over time however the putty hardens chips and flakes. 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. In many areas the filling looks pretty good however over the years the filling in some areas had is cracked and crumbled away. This type of cracking is considered normal for hardwood and no filler method will hold up unless the proper humidity is maintained.

Use a solvent based filler if your wood floor is subjected to large swings in humidity and temperature as solvent based fillers are more durable than water based fillers. Look for a wood filler with a label that indicates that it won t shrink or crack. Putty fillers were once a mainstay of hardwood floor repair. Why you should avoid putty fillers.

Another exacerbating condition is water damage. Filling large gaps in old wood floors if you cannot fix the problem by installing a humidifier you may need to take more drastic action when it comes to filling wide gaps. Wood fillers are also not meant for use with large gaps. Water logged wood will first swell then shrink as it dries out.