• If my son drops a toy on the hardwood floor, will it mark it?

    Although we use the terms hardwood in English and bois franc in French, this does not make your flooring a product resistant to all kinds of marks caused by dropped objects or even high heeled shoes. 

     Each species has its own characteristics. Some withstand compression better than others. Wood hardness is measured with the Janka test.

  • The boards of my flooring seem to be swelling and are starting to look wavy or like a washboard. What is causing this to happen?

    This phenomenon is due to a variation in the internal humidity of the wood. This is not related to a defective product. It is caused by environmental conditions.

    There are several reasons for changes in humidity: 

    Humidity too high in the subfloor or a very damp basement: The underside of the board absorbs more humidity than its top side, resulting in unequal swelling between the underside and top side of the board and the cupping effect. 

    Leaks or water spilled on the floor: Water infiltrates between the boards and is absorbed by their undersides. This results in swelling on the topside and the cupping effect. 

    Relative humidity too high: During very humid periods, the wood absorbs humidity from the ambient air and expands. Since the boards are anchored to the floor they cannot expand freely and press against each other, causing cupping. Insufficiently large expansion joints can exacerbate the problem.  

    A stable climatic environment in the house is the key to the optimum stability of wood flooring. Refer to our installation guide for more details 



  • Boards in my floor have gaps. What is happening?

    The appearance of gaps between boards is the result of internal variations of humidity within the boards. This is not related to a defective product. It is caused by environmental conditions.

    There are several reasons for changes in humidity: 

    Boards too humid prior to installation: The boards were installed when their internal rate of humidity was too high. Increased humidity can be caused by several factors such as storing the boards in an environment that is too damp (concrete not yet cured, damp subfloor, fresh paint, etc.); boards delivered while it is raining outdoors and their transportation indoors, etc. The wood absorbs humidity and swells before installation. Once the flooring is installed and ambient humidity returns to normal, the wood loses its excess humidity and contracts, leaving visible gaps between the boards. 

    Relative humidity too low: The humidity rate in the air is too low (often the case in winter) and the boards tend to lose their humidity and contract. This happens quite frequently in winter and, in most cases, the boards return to their original form the following season.