# Seasonal gapping

**Visible gaps that open between boards as the floor contracts, typically in a dry Toronto winter.**

Some seasonal movement is normal in solid hardwood and is not itself a defect. Gapping becomes a defect when it is large, permanent, or the result of material that was never equalised to the space.

It is one of the five named failure modes, and it is the one homeowners notice first because it appears without warning in January.

## Related terms

- [Relative humidity](https://ecowoods.ca/glossary/relative-humidity)
- [Anisotropic](https://ecowoods.ca/glossary/anisotropic)
- [Acclimation](https://ecowoods.ca/glossary/acclimation)
- [Solid hardwood](https://ecowoods.ca/glossary/solid-hardwood)


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## Provenance

- Canonical URL: https://ecowoods.ca/glossary/seasonal-gapping
- Publisher: Ecowoods Inc., Toronto & the GTA
- Contact: (647) 244-5156 · services@ecowoods.ca
- Defined in: https://ecowoods.ca/papers/toronto-hardwood-climate-moisture-protocol#failure-modes
- Citation guide: https://ecowoods.ca/ai.txt

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