Colorado’s dry climate is always great for outdoor activities. Indoors, though, there are things dryness could have adverse effects on. One of them is the hardwood floor, which may shrink and lead to gaps or squeaks when there’s a drop in needed humidity. This write-up answers how humidity affects hardwood floors and what homeowners should know to keep them healthy in overly dry conditions.

1. Dry Air and Hardwood

When the air is dry, wood naturally perspires its internal moisture to align itself with the environment outside. Due to this, low humidity can harm of hardwood floors as time passes. The condition not only causes boards to take on a different size, but it also causes them to break or fracture. A correct humidity level indoors is essential.

2. Wood Shrinkage

Colorado’s inherently dry climate and low humidity can damage a home’s hardwood floors if the atmosphere in the place is left to stay as it naturally is. With the environment nearly arid due to low precipitation and moisture, floor planks will start to show spaces between them as a result of a reduction in size when they start to lose the ability to retain water. Homes in The Highest State must have humidifiers to regulate moisture levels indoors.

3. Cracks and Splits

As the boards of one’s floor dry out, expect stress to develop within the wooden grain. This tension can lead to the formation of cracks and splits at the ends or around knots. These are permanent fissures that can no longer be rejoined. If the humidity level remains at 35 to 55% indoors, the damage can be avoided.

4. Temperature Changes

As temperatures go up and down, the wooden floor naturally swells and shrinks with every change. In the day, it expands and, during chilly nights, it contracts. Colorado’s seasonal shifts in temperature worsen the issue, particularly when indoor heating further dehydrates the air. Keeping proper humidity for hardwood floors is of the utmost importance if one wants to prevent loosened or cupped boards and uneven surfaces over time.

5. Finish Damage

As humidity decreases, the wood under its finish starts to pull itself together and this impacts the protective coating of one’s floor. Now, since that surface quality is firmly attached to the material’s exterior and doesn’t bend like the wood, the finish then cracks and gets peeled off. Naturally, proper indoor humidity prevents this.

6. Proper Humidity

Indoor humidity must remain between 35% and 55% throughout the year. It’s this range that keeps wood planks stable and prevents them from shrinking or cracking due to Colorado’s arid climate. Homeowners would be well served by a hygrometer that tracks humidity levels and tips them off when to use a humidifier, especially in winter months when indoor air is dried up even more by the heater.

Wood, Weather, Wisdom

The dry Colorado climate will continue to be a challenge for one’s wood flooring at home. Selecting durable wood types and caring for it throughout the year can help avoid most damage caused by dryness. By knowing how humidity affects hardwood floors, or the lack of it as well, problems will be controllable. See us about taking care of your floor. Call Rocky Mountain Reflections at 303-918-7001 or 970-502-8225.