Hi,

I moved into a townhome style condo a few months ago. It came with hardwood floors. I really know nothing about hardwood floors so I can't really tell you much about it. I know its very thin Oak. My problem has been over the winter here. In couple of spots around the house: I have noticed gaps in the wood. From what I understand, this is seasonal and should not be that much of a concern.

However, I have sliding doors that go out to my patio. There is a vent there as well. What I have noticed there, aside from the separating, I have noticed that the boards around the vent have also lifted a little creating a gap between the wood and the foundation underneath. So if you step on that wood, it feels springy as you press and depress your foot off the wood.

This is a concern to me as I have recently heard there may be water coming in. Has anyone experienced this? Is there anything I can do?

My fiancé and I are considering new flooring. We are looking at bamboo. We decided this since upstairs we have carpet that will be need to be replaced as well. So we are looking at replacing all in the house. I am just worried that I am going to replace the wood only to have the same problems down the road.

Any help or somewhere I can go to learn this stuff would be appreciated.


Thank you,

Wood floors will expand and contract due to relative humidity in your home. Low humidity in the winter shrinks the flooring and cracks may show. Shrinking also loosens the bond between boards and this could allow warping. Can't tell you much more because I don't know the thickness of your boards or how they are attached. You might be able to lift the boards at the vent and put some construction adhesive between the boards and the concrete. Place a very heavy object on the boards for a few days.