Loading…
24
Appreciation post: My old boss in Tampa swore by a 3/4 inch gap for hardwood expansion, and I thought he was nuts
For years I did a tight 1/2 inch gap like everyone else. Then last summer, a big job in that old humid Florida house I did with a 3/4 inch gap. Came back this week for a different repair and checked it. Zero buckling, zero gapping, perfect. That extra quarter inch over a 40 foot run saved the whole floor from the summer swell. I'm a total convert now. Who else runs a bigger gap than the book says?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
ninam866mo ago
My neighbor in Phoenix had the same thing happen with a half-inch gap.
0
danielm156mo ago
Phoenix heat is no joke, but a half inch gap is actually pretty normal for expansion. @ninam86, your neighbor might have seen that, but builders plan for that movement on purpose. A tight seal can cause way worse damage when the materials swell in summer. I've seen doors completely stick and frames crack from not having enough room. Why fight the natural way the house is supposed to move with the seasons?
9
joel2804mo ago
Wait, a half inch gap? That's not normal is it? I've lived in a few hot places but that sounds like a lot of space for a door or window to just hang open like that. Daniel up there said builders plan for movement but half an inch feels like they left the whole thing unfinished. I'd be nervous about bugs or dust getting in through a crack that big.
4