There are so many DIYers, Customers, Installers, Sales Reps, etc who when something is not performing right with their floor take the simple way out and find something not followed by manufacturer of NOFMA spec and blame the issue on the installer. It does not matter how much experience you have this has happened to everyone and will continue to happen. The installer is always the scapegoat for either the store that sold it or the manufacturer that made it. Because it is very simple to blame the person who actually touched it. I bring this up not because I have had this problem recently or have paid for any huge issues but have been thinking about it more and more.

One huge issue i think is fun to toy with is expansion space. There must be a bunch of new posts all the time or searches on proper expansion space. One thing we can all agree upon is wood does move when there is a presence of humidty. We also can agree wood will fail when in contact with a substantial amount of water. Keeping these things out of the equation, would could have no expansion space and there wouldnt be a problem with shrinkage, buckling, cupping, etc. Lets be honest as installers and admit that 3/4" expansion recommended by the "authorities" is not a common likelyhood nor is it unconditionally followed. But guess what, anything less than that, all of them above mentioned try to blame the installer. Wood floor does not expand on the ends, just the widths. Manufacturer's give you guidelines to follow and such but look at this realistically... An installer installs hardwood with the normal 1/2" thick baseboard molding. Guess what, at the most the expanision of that is 3/8". An installer installs hardwood with 3/4" QR. Guess what, at the most thats 5/8" expanision. Basically what i am saying is 3/4" expansion is ridiculous and basically no one follows that guideline. There are so many examples, such as installing hardwood on steps. Guess what theres no expanision on the width. Installing wood to marble saddles in bathroom, theres no expansion. Front doors, sliders, etc. Oooh this is a great one... Installating hardwood to tile thats flush, 3/4" perimeter color matched silicone sealant?? lol i think not. A solid wood floor is nailed every 8-12" or so, its not going anywhere unless water hits it. Customers/homeowners do not want T-Moldings everywhere they turn.

Another issue always bugging me. I would assume that 90% of the pre-finished wood flooring sold to the end user is garbage. The microbevel edges, finishes, straightness, squareness, all contribute to it being an inferior product. And what makes it the absolute worse is the gloss finish. Almost every floor has a gloss finish. Which means more smudges, more scratches, marks, etc. I can scratch that floor with a pencil. So you have to walk on eggshells installing it and then living on it. The installer gets the call, can you fix these marks? The simple answer is probably not. You cant sand a spot in the middle of the room and blend it. They ask, oh can you replace it. Oh sure, its so fast simple and clean. And they always fit back together like "Lego's". Face nailing prefinished flooring is wonderul also, Putty never matches perfect and obviously disrupts the looks of the factory finish so you can always see it when looking.

I am a firm believer that in every home, with every situation there is a floor that is right for that application. The greater issue is that clients have some false expectations, are promised things that can't happen and will not happen. Your then placed in a situation to make the best out of a floor that you know is not right for the application your doing but it falls within a spec sheet guideline and was sold to them by someone else and your contracted to to install.

Oh well, just a rant. Dont flame. Where else can you share your ideas/problems/fustrations about the flooring business except on the internet.
thanks

Some of what you said are true. As an installer myself, I "feel your pain" bro.

You're right about that expansion space deal...damned if you do.. and damned if you don't. That's a big "way out" for manufacturers.

I was told the space should equal the thickness. Right Just a cop out for DIY job complaints.

I learned alot with that post! Thanks!

So if you are installing solid hardwoods perpendicular to a doorway (like a front door), you can butt it right up to the threshold because the wood does not expand length-wise?

Correct. It is cut, and dead, It is not going to grow anymore. Now in the widths.... Watchout!!

One thing to watch for in expansion:
1. If you are tight to a fixed object on the ends of the boards;;;; you still need a bit of room to allow for the boards to move widthwise.
I've inspected these failures and all I found was the board TOOOOO tight to a fixed object and restricted widthwise movement...

Lacking expansion gapping is one thing;;;;;;;;;; Placing boards so tight as to stop widthwise movement is another.

Just a suggestion....

I totally disagree. Wood science doesn't support that THEORY, or opinion.

Lengthwise Shrink and swell of hardwood is .05%. How do you accomodate for that?

I do understand that Ray... sort of hard to do with a bordered field.

Jerry,
The difference is wood to wood compared to wood to Aluminum, Such as a threshold or non-giving metal. Wood to wood, there is some "give"... IF that makes any sense

I'll have to disagree with Ray, but everyone has their own comfort zone. Somebody mentioned it not long ago about doing high end work and not using any expansion, but these homes are climate controlled.

I've always butted perpendicular regardless of whether or not it was solid or engineered.

Everyone is different guys, there's no absolute answer in my opinion.

Good points Ken.
You and I are in Florida where we have no "heating" seasons and our Relative Humidity/Temperatures do not Dramaticaly change with the seasons.
In areas up north, where the Relative Humidity changes from Summers of 70% to 90% and Winters of 15% to 25%......... there can be problems as Hardwood Co-Efficient of Shrink and Swell is .05% Lengthwise (Longitudinal).
.05% ain't much, but it can cause trouble, depending on Climate Area.
I think the important word in all this discussion may be "Acclimation"..??

I totally disagree!

Leaving expansion is always the safest way, but I don't believe the wood is going anywhere on the length.

Are you aware there are some engineered manufacturers who list in their instructions that expansion is not required length or width for a glue down installation?

Jerry,
Yes, I am aware of the few who say no need for expansion gapping for engineered.
Is this thread about Engineered or Solid?
I also know of some manufacturers Stating there is no need for acclimation and no need for expansion gapping.