We installed new tongue and groove engineered 5/8" hardwood flooring in our kitchen this spring. I was hesitant because I didn't know how the wood would hold up in a kitchen, but we were going for a rustic look. The flooring guy at Home Depot said the hardwood would hold up just as well or better than the laminate options and we liked the look alot more. As far as I know, we did everything right. We replaced almost all of the plywood subfloor and even some of the floor boards. We bought a hardwood floor nailer and air compressor and nailed them hard and tight against each other. We also left 1/2" gap around the perimeter.

I know that hardwood expands and contracts, but that's not what this is. We had a hard time eliminating the gaps during installation because the tongue and groove didn't want to fit together very well. We spent a lot of time getting each piece to fit well. We have gone through spring, summer and now into fall and the gaps still remain. I would say it wasn't even a month after installing that we started noticing the gaps getting wider. Now you can see where dirt falls through the cracks.

My questions are can this be fixed and how - and how do you clean the floor without moisture damage to the floor and subfloor? Even though it was prefinished should we go over it with some kind of sealer? Even then I don't think the gaps would be sealed. We are completely depressed because we spent a lot of time getting it perfect. To add insult to injury, anything and everything seems to dent the floor. Of course, when we moved the fridge back it left huge gouges in the wood, even with furniture sliders and cardboard. It did not penetrate the finish but the gouges are deep. Is there any way to repair these? I think it would look too obvious to use wood filler. Should I try to find some kind of poly that would fill the gouges and still somewhat match the finish? I did hear that moisture, a towel and a hot iron might raise up the wood fibers, but it didn't seem to work on the sample piece I tried. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Also, the planks are solid wood with a cherry walnut type pre-finish.

Thanks,
Kim

backdatepuddlepup

we're about to put laminate upstairs, and wood down (we have to match what's here). we're going to throw a couple layers of poly on the wood after we get it in. that will take care of the leaking issues. i think they should recommend this -- but i guess they want it to seem as easy as possible, and to heck with you later. we were reading the box on the laminate yesterday and it says we have to lay it over a "shaw" underlayment (that's the brand). so, guess what?? if we use the underlayment from the store -- no warrenty!!! they getcha no matter what. i wonder if i could get the store to put it in writing that they guarentee it if shaw spits it back -- if i use their pad.

realwood

It is real wood not engineered! Don't listen to the other post that talk about the durability of laminates. true they may wear a little longer but a all metal floor would wear even better than laminate, but I wouldn't use either because the look like crap. Your floor is beautiful sorry about the bad luck. a wood filler is one of your best options, I would not refinish the floor. It is important to note that modern wood floors do not use polyurethane, It is why they last so long. They mainly used aluminum oxide. You can do this yourself just allot more work tools and precautions.

joycealdrich

I'm not sure I understand if you have real or engineered wood? It appears to be real wood from what I can tell. Anyway...did you put down a moisture barrier of any sort. I think that's usually the norm for real wood anyway. I'm not sure about engineered although it wouldn't seem to hurt, esp in the kitchen.

We also have many furniture scratches on our hardwood floors. We moved in but neglected to really delve into care, maint, etc. Ours is in the living room,etc We'll have to bite the bullet one day and have it all resanded and refinished. Our's has beveled edges also. A lovely look for a country look but OMG what a PITA for cleaning on a day to day basis. And then you add stupidly dragging furniture..LOL We've at least gotten better at that but you usually only get one chance at it per piece of furniture.

Good Luck!

kimr5

Yes, it is solid wood - but it is engineered. We did not put down a moisture barrier, just plywood over the floor boards. We have a full basement below, not a foundation. I wasn't too concerned with spilling liquids because of the nice finish, but I didn't expect the huge gaps between each board.

If I had it to do again I would NEVER put wood, or anything with potential gaps, in the kitchen! Now this spring we noticed the cute little ants that were always outside our house found a way to get in. They use the gaps as their own little tunnel system! UGGGGHHHHH!