OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

275042 Daniel Indrigo <dindrigo@g...> 2022‑01‑04 Re: wood movement and construction question...
Yes 1/2" to 5/8" should be more than enough, if the boards are moving 
more than that then the nails will be pulling out. As David said, the 
expansion/contraction should be mostly happening between individual 
boards. But you need to leave sufficient gap when installing. If it's 
extremely humid when you install then you can smack them together pretty 
tight, if instead it's quite dry then you need to make sure you leave a 
bit of a gap. You also need to consider heating from the sun if you have 
large south facing windows, that can cause all kinds of issues, if 
nothing else you may get a color change in that area. But you will also 
get more extreme movement in the area where the mid day sun will hit

As for which to install first I'd go with the shelves if they are likely 
to be a more permanent addition than the floor. At some point the floor 
may need refinishing/repairing and it will be easier if they just need 
to go around pulling up a quarter round around the edge.

Recent Bios FAQ