Any idea what caused this to wooden floor

Hawdy

So this happened to wooden floor in the space of 1 week. Not sure what the cause is, or if it’s a problem that will spread. There is underfloor heating could be the underfloor heating but has never happened in previous winters. 

grumbler

Well, wooden planks are normally either 'click'-connected or have to be glued together otherwise.

If they are just tong&grove and not glued correctly the gaps are likely to appear naturally as the floor is 'floating', i.e. expands and then contracts in all directions, especially with underfloor heating.

Are you sure it's wood? Looks like imitation to me.

Doozergirl

Is it solid wood or engineered? 

As above but solid wood doesn't go well with underfloor heating because it is more prone than any other kind to expansion and contraction.  

bris

t's the result of a very badly laid floor.

Bendy_House

Some unusual reflections on these.

The orange arrow points to an 'expected' type of light reflection from an overhead source - one reflected area, quite tall, and ending evenly and similarly at either side. Ie, a reflection from a flattish surface.

The yellow arrows indicate something else - 'rounded' reflections, not as tall, and in especially the RH one, ending very suddenly. These suggest raised, rounded surfaces, 'bulbous' in shape. And the narrow but elongated reflection on the second plank suggest a 'cupped' shape of that plank.

And these three planks look as tho' they've shrunk in width in that area, possibly after having first expanded some.

I think the only thing that would cause that is water damage. What room is this, and could there have been a prolonged leak or spill?

Hawdy

Is there anyway to fix this? My main concern is that this has happened in the space of 1 week, when in the past 5 years spacing gaps have been very minimal, almost unnoticeable and always to the sides never this is the first one where it’s been in the front part, or noticeable to the sides with warping 

Bendy_House

It's very localised, so I think there has been an external 'cause'. And that involved moisture.

Anything you can think of? A large plant pot placed there, in a porous container that would cause damp underneath it?

Almost certainly that damage is permanent - there is nothing I can think of that'll 'fix' it other than replacement of these boards. It could instead be disguised to some degree, by adding a filler that'll partially fill the T&G gaps. Then the correct-sized grooves could be cut or drawn back in. It wouldn't be that noticeably if done reasonably well.

But there must, surely, be a 'cause'. And that would need sorting first.

Hawdy

It’s in the corridor next to the bathroom. I checked bathtub and no leak that I can make out. Do you think the damage was from above eg a spill, or from below maybe a leak that I can’t see from a pipe. 

Clive_Woody

What kind of underfloor heating is it? If pipework, there might be a leak.

Norman_Castle

Assuming the floors been down for a few years I'd suspect the boards have moved because the edge support has moved or the joint between the boards has failed, probably a combination of both. Try vacuuming the gaps then kicking or prying the boards back into place. If they fit together neatly you'll need to support them at the edges to hold them there. 

Apodemus

I agree with Bendy_House that it looks as if these boards have become cupped.  It's either slow, long-term drying out of the timber or a more recent change in moisture level.  Water from bathroom or leak from the UFH seem both to be plausible, but since "common things are common" I'd be asking questions about shower curtain/cubicle or an overspill from the bath - not necessarily over-filling but someone splashing around or getting out too quickly.  (Or the oft-quoted "grand-kids visit"?)

Depending on the type of boards, it might be possible to sand or plane them flat again in-situ, but that wouldn't do anything to close the gaps.