Winter Hardwood Issues - Around Heaters - Capell Flooring

**Small Correction to this video - The Floor will expand back together in the spring once the cold stops.

I thought it was important to interrupt your normal weekly emails and put out some important information so please read this, and if you have questions let my staff or myself know. I was born in Boise and lived in the treasure valley most of my life. I have not ever experienced any of this type of snowfall before to this level, and asking my parents who moved to this area in the early 1970’s they have not either. This weather will cause some issues with things that you may or may not have purchased from my store Capell Flooring, so I wanted to bring a few things up. Whether you bought some of these products from me or not, please read through this especially on the hardwood.
Hardwood Issues:
This time of the year, wood will expand and contract normally, and this time of year hardwood floors will typically shrink some because we turn up the heat and fireplaces and it makes hardwood shrink in houses. It can actual cause boards to split in two and not just on the seam which has happened in my personal house this winter. With extreme snowfall, this winter, it will only cause more issues with hardwood. I’ve done some research and tried to find some articles that explain this a little better. Also, please pay attention to snow being left on a floor from pets or kids, or de-icer type products. Around heat registers, the wood will tend to shrink even worse with the hot air being constantly blown on them to keep the heat up. (see my video below) It is like running a blow dryer on something non-stop, the water in water it is pointed at will evaporate and in this case, it is the moisture that is naturally in wood, that will cause your floor to shrink. As the snow starts to melt, there is a super high change you will get water in your crawl space and that will potential cause some more issues with your hardwood. Remember to run humidifiers and boil water on your stoves as well – this will help will the overall air quality in your homes, and help with this problem.
Hopefully, you are not experiencing too many problems. I’ve had a lot of customers and friends have roofs leak, pipes freeze, and I’m sure there will start to be some flooding. Let’s all try to work through this strange winter and be patient. Most things that will happen to your hardwood will resolve themselves naturally by spring.
Here are some links:
http://pro-flooring.com/winter-weathe... - although this was written for Colorado – we have experienced a Colorado type winter this year.
https://us.bona.com/iWantTo/care-for-... - another good article about winter hardwood and the potential issues that happen.
Other Things:
Here are some other things to keep in mind. Grout can crack when cold, caulk can shrink, and tile can possibly crack especially if it is installed directly on concrete. My personal house driveway has a large crack running through it from this winter and has lifted. It is not the concrete person’s fault, it is just a byproduct of this winter. Also, around one of my windows, it started to leak because the caulking shrunk on me and with the excessive water dripping on it, the water started to get through. This is also not the roofer’s fault. It is because there is ton of snow on my roof, and I have ice dams in my gutters. Carpet can also wrinkle on edges due to the cold and especially in basements.
Again, I hope most of this makes sense. Hopefully, we can all get through this winter, and all you can avoid having your roof leak, or something worse. Thanks for your patience in all of this!