The temperature and humidity levels in your home affect your comfort, and you depend on heating and cooling systems to keep things cozy. Have you thought about how a changing climate affects your hardwood flooring? Solid wood floors react to temperature swings and changing humidity levels. Find out how you can minimize flooring issues and remain comfortable inside your home.
Natural Movement
Quality wood floors are made from genuine wood and also display all of the natural characteristics of genuine wood. This includes shrinking, warping, cracking, and expansion. Your hardwood reacts to climate change in a reliable pattern, shifting with the seasons and the relative humidity levels. When homeowners understand these changes, and installers make allowances for them, all is well.
How Cold Weather Affects Wood Floors
When temperatures outside drop below freezing—as often happens across much of North America—our heating systems kick into high gear. Unless your home is equipped with a whole-home humidifier, most of the moisture naturally present in the interior air disappears.
As air dries out it also sucks moisture from the hardwood, causing the planks to shrink and possibly even crack. Combine this condition with naturally drier air on the outside (long periods ofbelow-freezingg temperatures also results in less moisture in the air), and you have an issue to deal with.
Installing a humidifier on the furnace or within the heating system often works to offset this condition. You may only notice major shrinking or cracking around heating vents or floor registers, due to the concentration of heat in those areas.
How Hot Weather Affects Wood Floors
High levels of humidity experienced in many locations around North America also transform hardwood flooring. Swelling and expansion occur in humid weather, due to greater amounts of moisture in the air. Your air conditioner may bring that moisture level down to a more manageable level, but other conditions battle against it and increase the level of relative humidity.
Leaks, improperly designed ventilation, shorter air conditioner running times, and even indoor cooking add humidity to the already heavy air during the hot months of summer. Hardwood floors absorb this moisture and expand. Gaps previously opened during colder weather close in the warmth, and planks installed tightly may cup.
Remember that both floating wood floors and nailed-down applications experience shrinking and cracking during the cold weather and expansion in the heat. Floating applications may physically move more, but the installation process allows for that movement by design.
Why Trim is Important
Baseboard trim is installed around the base of your walls to create a seamless transition between the wall and the floor. For hardwood floors, this simple trim serves a more crucial purpose. Experts recommend leaving a small gap around the edge of the flooring to allow the planks to expand and contract without causing damage like cupping or cracking. 
The baseboard trim covers this gap, providing a smooth, clean edge throughout the year. It’s important to ensure your wood flooring installers use high-quality trim and leave enough space at the edges to accommodate expansion and contraction.
Climate changes can affect solid wood flooring—shrinking and cracking can occur in winter, while expansion and cupping may be issues in summer. Using quality materials and skilled installers will help ensure your hardwood floors remain beautiful year-round.