Up until now, concrete cracks have been the nemesis of the construction industry. In fact, there’s an old joke that there are two types of concrete. The first type is concrete that has cracked. The second type is concrete that hasn’t cracked…yet. But is there something new on the way?

Concrete “flatwork,” that is, concrete poured in slabs for floors, sidewalks, driveways, and roads, is particularly prone to cracking. It will shrink as it “cures” and crack. And it will continue to swell and shrink when it gets warmer or cooler and be susceptible to developing more cracks. (more…)

I’m very pleased to hear that my book, Designing Your Perfect House, is proving to be valuable to people who are building or remodeling. When I wrote it, I really hoped it would become an important resource for people and help them feel more “in control” of the building process. So it heartens me to receive questions like this one concerning the wood floors shown in the book photos.

We are starting to select the different materials around the house.  Your beautiful pictures have been a great inspiration…  I particularly like your wooden floors on pages 114

Page 114 Photo from "Designing Your Perfect House"

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It’s nearly winter. That means that your hardwood floors are about to show cracks between the boards. If you’ve moved into a new house, these cracks could cause alarm. How could your brand new hardwood floors crack?

Gaps between boards, or cracks, if you will, are not the result of the wood floor failing or falling apart. They are the result of the wood planks shrinking as the relative humidity goes down and the wood floor loses moisture content. The air in the summer has a higher relative humidity than in the summer. This lets the wood flooring absorb moisture and swell. So usually gaps between boards go away in the summer. Then those gaps reappear in the winter as the humidity goes down again. (more…)