I am laying 5 1/2 inch Thomasville Mahagony Engineered wood flooring. Occasionally I do not get them as snug as I would like, but most of the time it is a nice fit. Is this ok, or should I panic?
they make the stuff so as there will be no gaps. if your floor is not totally flat,,like maybe there are a few ''waves'' in it..then you could get a little gap in it now and then because its conforming to the floors imperfections. But on a ''flat'' flat floor..it shouldn't happen.
I don't know about panicking. But if you don't get the gaps out as you lay the floor, they will always be there. If you can live with the gaps, then don't worry.
If there are excessive spaces (cracks) between the slats, they will always be there. This may or may not be a problem as far as compromising the moisture barrier (spilled water can seep between the cracks). But, if you can see the cracks now, it will probably always bother you. When putting down that type of flooring, you have to use a hammer and piece of wood to knock the slats together and eliminate the cracks. There should not be any gaps between the slats.
the gaps should be there to allow for expansion, and contraction of the slab
