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Finally got the hang of that tricky transition strip on a 3/4 inch oak job

I kept seeing other guys leave a gap that was too small, which always led to buckling after a few seasons. After three failed attempts on my own projects, I measured the expansion in my garage with a moisture meter and realized I needed a full 1/2 inch. How do you all calculate your expansion gaps for solid hardwood in humid climates?

3 comments

3 Comments

scott.miles1mo ago

lol yeah I just eyeball it and hope for the best, which is why my last hallway looks like a roller coaster when the seasons change.

the_elliot1mo ago

eyeball it and hope for the best" - man that's exactly how my first flooring job went. But here's something nobody's talking about - what direction are your subfloor boards running? I had a buddy who did perfect gaps and still got waves because his subfloor was oriented the same way as the hardwood planks. You gotta stagger the subfloor direction from the final floor or at least check if it's OSB or plywood because they expand differently. That rollercoaster might not be from your gaps at all.

victor_jones991mo ago

My first solid oak job I left a 3/8 inch gap and it buckled like crazy by summer. I took a hardwood flooring class at the local community college where they showed us to measure the specific moisture content of the wood versus the room's average humidity. I ended up using 1/2 inch gaps on a 4 inch wide plank and zero issues after two full seasons.