expansion gap

Leaving the right expansion gap is an essential part of fitting any wooden floor. Whether it be solid wood, engineered wood or parquet block flooring, they all need an expansion gap to allow for natural movements when the wood expands and contracts with changes in the surrounding atmosphere.

An expansion gap is a small space left around the perimeter of the room.  For hardwood floors it is recommended that a gap of at least 12mm is left around the entire edge of the room, including all doorways, fireplaces, and around any pipework. Continue reading →

Yes, all types of wooden flooring need an expansion gap in order to expand and contract naturally with changes in their surroundings. If you do not leave a sufficient expansion gap when installing your wooden floor, it can lead to problems in the future.  Don’t worry about the gap being noticeable, once your floor has been installed you can cover the gap with wooden flooring accessories. Continue reading →

We often get asked the same questions about wood flooring over and over again.  Here are the top 10 questions and answers that we get asked about wood flooring? Continue reading →

A hardwood pipe cover is a hardwood flooring accessory that is used to cover over the expansion gaps left around pipes. The pipe cover itself is a small circle shaped piece of wood just big enough to cover the gap around radiator or heating pipes. Continue reading →

The term ‘floating floor’ relates to the way which your hardwood flooring has been, or is going to be, installed.  There are two main ways that you can install hardwood flooring.  You can either fix your hardwood floor to the subfloor with glue, nails or screws.  Alternatively you can float your floor over an underlay.

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When you are thinking about having a new wooden floor you may be worried about installing it.  We always recommend that you use a professional floor fitter for the job, but you may find the following tips for installing wood flooring useful:

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When you decide to install a new hardwood floor in any room, it can be an exciting time imagining what the finished floor will look like, but it is very important not to rush the installation process or cut corners, otherwise your flooring may become damaged over time.  Continue reading →

If your hardwood flooring has started to raise or lift up, then it likely that it has not been fitted with the correct expansion gap around the perimeter of the room.  As wood is a natural product it will naturally expand and contract with changes in temperature and humidity.  Continue reading →

Whenever hardwood flooring is being installed, an expansion gap of at least 12mm needs to be left around the perimeter of the room (including doorways).  This allows the flooring to expand and contract naturally.  If an expansion gap has not been left, your hardwood flooring may warp, rise up and break, as it has no room for natural movement.

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An expansion gap is a term used when fitting wooden flooring. It is an essential gap that must be left around the edge of the room when fitting hardwood, bamboo or laminate flooring. The expansion gap should be around the whole perimeter of the room, wherever the flooring may be against fixed objects, such as walls, doorways, radiator pipes and fireplaces. Continue reading →