Here's a clever insider trick to get past damaged boards in the odd event that you do. Any boards that are too long or wide for your room must be cut before you lay your floor regularly. Since edges are almost always where your boards would be damaged, you can place those boards where you would have to trim them otherwise. You can trim the surplus and remove the damaged components without creating extra waste if you use damaged boards at the room's edge.

The diagram below should assist you in visualising this: The rectangle represents the room's edges, while the red crosses indicate where harm has been done. You can observe how the damaged areas have been quickly and wastelessly removed by cutting off anything outside of the room.

The most likely damage will be to the board joints if the damage happened during delivery or if the boxes are stored upright; although this may seem scary, it is frequently not an issue at all! Even with up to 50% of the jointing system missing, the joint solutions we propose (for both our laminate and engineered flooring) can function 100% efficiently. Therefore, installing the floor will go smoothly and without any issues if you simply clean the joint.

It is possible for wood floors to warp when they are exposed to a change in humidity; this is a normal and common characteristic of real wood. Additionally, it explains why acclimatisation is crucial because it will lessen excessive bowing. In conclusion, using a floor that has been bent is actually completely safe. Although it's crucial to stagger the joints during installation to maintain the integrity of the floor, a skilled fitter shouldn't have any issue putting in bowed boards.

Despite our best efforts, occasionally poor treatment during transportation can result in a damaged floor. We take every measure to ensure that your floor arrives in the same condition we received it in. Here, we're not discussing something as severe as shattered boards, but rather scuffed edges and dents, which are manageable issues.

We are more than delighted to replace damaged goods because we recognise that it's normal to anticipate a flawless product. However, most damages can be repaired without the need to schedule additional delivery, making this a time- and resource-efficient option.

Because of uneven subfloors or fluctuating temperatures, flooring can squeak if the boards are rubbing against one another. Your subfloor must be level for a flat and stable floor, which entails less than 3mm of deviation across a 1m area. While temperatures fluctuate, moisture levels fluctuate as well, which is what causes wooden flooring to contract or expand.

With a top-notch installation, squeaks can be avoided most effectively. You can access all of our installation tutorials here. Always keep in mind that your floor needs to acclimate before installation, as described here. Last but not least, make sure to leave a 10mm expansion space all the way around the room's perimeter.

A fast rise in moisture is another reason for squeaking. Since painting and plastering the space might actually cause this, we always advise having your floor installed as the final step of any renovation project.

Talcum powder is a quick cure if it's too late to stop the squeaks because it lessens friction between the boards. The flooring needs to be removed for a more long-lasting fix. The floor must then either be very slightly trimmed back (to prevent it from pushing on surrounding boards) or the subfloor must be prepared according to advised standards before refitting. We would strongly advise hiring a specialist for this.

For all real wood floors, scratches and dents are common and expected. As time passes, it will be crucial for you to lessen dings and scratches on your floor, unless you're going for a wonderful "distressed" look. Check out our page on wooden floor maintenance for a simple and quick guide.

Even with every precaution, dents and scratches will accumulate over time. Consider recoating or even refinishing your floor if you'd prefer to have a cleaner, more modern-looking surface. Learn how to refinish your wooden floor by reading our guides.

The light stripes you may have noticed on your oak flooring are known medically as Medullary Rays. These rays are organic structures that transport fluid from the trunk's surface to its centre. The Medullary Rays are a distinctive feature of all oak products and an essential component of the wood's natural beauty.

Causes

Lifting, warping, and gaps are all distinct signs of the same errors, thus being able to identify them and avoid them is a good thing. The board lifts when it separates from the subfloor. A plank "cupping" (where the borders are high and the centre is low) or "crowning" is referred to as warping (where the edges of the board are low and the centre is high). Gaps are the little spaces that may develop between the installed boards.

First and foremost, it's crucial to acclimate your boards because doing so greatly lowers the likelihood that any of these consequences will occur.

Second, always make an effort to keep the humidity at a constant level. Different degrees of moisture can result in gaps, moisture from below can result in cupping, and moisture from above might result in bowing.

Third, you should never ignore the expansion gap! This tiny space (about 10 mm) around the room's edge is crucial for enabling the board's natural movement to occur without having any negative impacts.

Treatment