Repairing Old Floors That Are Separating

Wood flooring expands and contracts with climate changes. For older wood floors, with wider planks, this sometimes leads to large gaps, as wide as half an inch, between the boards, at certain times of the year. The problem is remarkably simple to solve, if you keep in mind that it has to be addressed with a material that will expand and contract along with the wood. Hemp rope, like wood, expands and contracts with climate changes, so hemp rope stained the same color as the floor can do the trick.

Vacuum hose
Braided hemp rope, about an inch thick
Utility knife
Oil-based wood stain, same color as the floorboards
Bucket
Old newspapers

Instructions

- 1
  Use a vacuum hose to clean out the spaces between the floorboards. Remove all dust and debris.
- 2
  Measure the length of the first space. Cut a piece of hemp rope to that length, using your razor knife.
- 3
  Take the braided rope apart, unwinding it into its thinner parts, until you have one piece about 50 percent wider than the space. So if the space is half an inch across, the section of unwound rope should be about ¾ inch thick.
- 4
  Do the same for each gap in the floor.
- 5
  Roll up all the rope pieces in the bottom of a bucket. Pour wood stain over them, covering them completely. Let them soak for a minute. Spread them out on newspapers. Let them dry for eight to 10 hours.
- 6
  Set each rope over the space it was cut for, covering the whole line from end to end. Push the rope down into the space with the palm of your hand until it’s even with the surface of the floor.

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