How to seal floorboard gaps

If you have polished floorboards in your home, you may be aware of gaps between the boards that can let in draughts and make your living space uncomfortable. If you’re wondering how to identify and treat floorboard gaps, we’ve got you covered.

Firstly, to determine if you have floorboard gaps, you can use a long snap blade knife to put between the boards. Sometimes the gap may not be obvious, so it’s important to check all the gaps in your floor.

Once you’ve identified the gaps, it’s time to treat them.  First of all, it is essential to consider the material you will use to fill these gaps. Typically, people use putty or wood filler, which is reasonably efficient but only temporarily solves the problem. The challenge with putty is that it needs to be color-matched, which may not always result in the desired outcome. Additionally, as timber shrinks or expands across the grain, the putty dries up and cracks over time, leading to the gaps reappearing.

While some suggest the use of silicone, it is not an ideal product to fill floorboard gaps. While it is a good product, it is challenging to apply and clean up. Typically, while filling gaps, a slight overfill is necessary, and with silicon, the excess sealant is hard to clean up neatly. Moreover, it tends to have a lot of off-gassing while drying up. Polyurethane sealants are also an option, and they offer excellent sealing properties, but they are tricky to apply and clean up as well.  Click here to discover why silicone is a draught proofing mistake.

Instead, we recommend using Fuller’s UltraClear. Why Ultra Clear? It’s a water-based product, so cleaning up excess sealant is easy just with a damp cloth. It comes out of the caulking gun beautifully. It comes out white and dries clear, so there’s no need to colour match. It’s flexible. As your floors expand and contract, it just follows that movement and doesn’t crack and fall out. Because it’s water-based, it’s very low in VOC, so almost no off-gassing while it dries. And that’s great if you’ve got asthma or if someone in your home has got any kind of allergy. And you can get it at a reasonable price at the ecoMasterStore.com.au.

To apply Fuller’s Ultra Clear, simply cork it into the gaps between the floorboards and clean up excess sealant with a cloth. In a few days, the sealant will dry clear and your floorboards will look like new.

Watch this video to see how easy Fullers Ultraclear is to apply and clean up. 

Treating floorboard gaps not only makes your living space more comfortable, but it can also save you money on energy bills by reducing the amount of heat that escapes through the gaps. So why not give it a try and make your home a little more cozy this winter?

People Also Ask:

⇒ Should I seal the floorboards?

Yes! If there are gaps between your floorboards, it is imperative that they are to sealed to improve your home’s energy efficiency and reduce your heating and cooling costs.  Sealing floorboard gaps can help to prevent drafts, reduce noise, prevent dirt and debris as well as insects and bugs from getting between the boards. 

⇒ What is the best way to fill gaps between floorboards?

The easiest and most commonly used method for professional draught proofers to seal floorboard gaps is by using Fullers Ultraclear.  This method has quite a few advantages including: 

• Colour matching between caulk and floorboards is not required as Ultraclear is clear when it is dry
• Ultraclear will expand and shrink with the floorboards during their normal seasonal expansion and contraction
• Ultraclear is water proof so will not be damaged by water spills 
• Ultraclear is white when applied and dries to a clear, slightly satin finish
• Ultraclear is very easy to apply with a caulking gun 
• Ultraclear can be cleaned up with water 
• Ultraclear is mould resistant 
• Ultraclear is UV stable 

What’s Next?

We hope this article has helped you learn how to use simple ways to save on your utility bill. This in turn will help you on your energy and thermal efficiency retrofit journey to make your home more comfortable all year round, and reduce your costs and carbon emissions.   

Next, explore How to Thermally Retrofit My Home.

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