Q: We had a cork floor installed 3 years ago and each winter the ends pull apart and a gap of 1/8 to 1/4″ is evident. I’ve had the installer out and the company who manufactured the product out to view. Each blames the other for the problem. I’m tired of the conflict and just want to know what I can do to solve the problem of this gapping. In the summer the gap lessons but does not completely close. Is there anything I can do?
A: Typically gapping like this occurs when the flooring is not properly acclimated before installation; however, since you mention this specifically occurs during winter it makes me think one of two things is happening. If this floor was glued down, this could be a result of poor acclimation time. If this is a floating floor, most likely what you are looking at is a problem with humidity.
When flooring shrinks only at the ends it is typically a result of the relative humidity in your home becoming to dry. As the air dries out, some of the natural moisture in the flooring escapes as well, causing this type of gapping. This is a common cause for gaps like this, which is usually faulted to the installer as it is the installers responsibility to properly acclimate any flooring before installation.
Another cause to gaps like this would be planks that having a milling error or are not square. Although this is a problem in the product, it is up to the installer to detect these defects before installation, which is in part why the standard for waste in flooring is 5-10%, as there will be occasional milling errors along side cuts that are made to fit the installation.
In the end here your best bet would be to contact a certified, third party inspector to come out and determine the problem with your floor. This will help determine whom is truly at fault and stop the finger pointing. Based on your description, my guess here is that it is the fault of the installer, but keep in mind that without being on the site myself, it is impossible to give a definitive answer as to the precise problem.
Here is a tip for helping to reduce this gapping some. As long as your home is climate controlled and remains at roughly the same temperature all year, get a gauge to test the humidity in the air of you home. If this humidity deviates much during the change in seasons from around 40-50% then an easy fix here would be to run a humidifier during the winter to restore humidity to the environment and prevent this gapping from occurring.
