The weather can play a critical role in creating widespread destruction on more than the exterior of your home. As the humidity rises and falls, it is usual for gaps to appear on hardwood floors. Expansion, as well as shrinkages, cause hardwood floor gaps. Hardwood takes on as well as loses moisture because the temperatures and the humidity rise and falls. It may take so many years for gaps to appear & come out in your hardwood floors. Regardless of the fact that your floors are newly installed or you have had hardwood floors for years, you can use humidifiers in order to minimize the likelihood of gaps. You can opt for room humidifiers or furnace humidifiers, both will help reduce the chance of gaps appearing in your hardwood floors eventually.
Step By Step Process Of Filling Gaps Between Subfloor & Wall
When you are sealing a home, you may find air leakage in the spaces betwixt the subfloor and framed walls. This can be due to the fact that your subfloor is sagging, which is usual in older homes, or even expansion of the structure because of the climate conditions. An easy way to solve this problem is to fill the gap betwixt the wall and subfloor with the help of caulk. The caulking should be very helpful for moisture as well as mildew resistance. It also must be flexible to permit movement when the structure shifts. Exterior-based caulking is enough & adequate.
- First of all, take out the baseboard, in order to uncover the gap betwixt the subfloor and the wall face. Move the flat end of a pry bar smoothly between the baseboard and the wall before firmly prying outward. Slide a couple of inches to the left or right and keep prying the baseboard from the wall.
- After that, get rid of the dust or debris from the gap betwixt the wall and subfloor, with the help of a vacuum fitted with a slanted nozzle.
- Put in a tube of caulking into the caulk gun. Trim the tip of the tube at a slanted angle, with the help of scissors or a utility knife, in order to create a 1/4-inch hole.
- Position the head of the caulking gun into the gap betwixt the wall and subfloor. Firmly press the trigger in order to leave a 1/4-inch bead of caulking inside the gap. Move the caulking gun smoothly along the wall to leave a continuous bead. Make sure that the bead has come into contact with the rough framing of the wall. Also, be absolutely certain that the air gaps are covered.
- Allow the caulking to dry as per the manufacturer's instructions before replacing the baseboard.