Hardwood expansion

[brent]

I read on a website that hardwood will expand (swell) across the width of the strip, but not end to end and therefore you dont need a gap between the wall and the ends of the hardwood strips.Is this true?

[Oren]

Think humidity..... we are approaching 1700 sf of hardwood flooring on concrete foundation ( to be expanded to more rooms ) and just image a

1/8" space on all four walls (dense cardboard shims - easily removed). It snowed in Las Vegas before Christmas... still putting in floors........

Expand/Swell/Contraction. Follow directions.

-- Oren

"Well, it doesn't happen all the time, but when it happens, it happens constantly."

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Partly true. Most of the expansion is in the width, but on a long run you can have some expansion on the length so make some allowance for that also.

[Frank]

I cannot give you an exact answer but it will expand in both directions. Wood is an anisotropic material, i.e. properties are different in different directions because or orientation. To see this phenomenon, take a piece square piece of paper, measure it and soak it and remeasure. Frank

[# Fred #]

It still expands, just not as much. In either case you need to provide some expansion relieve in both directions, especially when the runs are long.

[stubbier]

if my wood gets hard and expands.................... is that the same thing or am I in the wrong place?