# Expansion gap

**Deliberate clearance left at walls and at every fixed object so the floor has somewhere to go when it expands.**

Gaps are required at all fixed objects and walls — not only at the perimeter. Fixed objects mid-field are where this is most often missed, and where buckling starts.

A floor with nowhere to expand does not stay flat. It lifts.

## Related terms

- [Buckling](https://ecowoods.ca/glossary/buckling)
- [Anisotropic](https://ecowoods.ca/glossary/anisotropic)
- [Seasonal gapping](https://ecowoods.ca/glossary/seasonal-gapping)


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