Saw something wild at a hotel in Nashville last week

I was staying at a big hotel downtown and they had this huge open lobby with wide plank hardwood. Looked amazing from a distance, but up close you could see the gaps between boards were filled with clear silicone, not wood filler. The front desk guy said they did it because the floor moves so much with the humidity changes. I always thought silicone was a cheap fix for bad installs, but they had a point about letting the wood breathe. Still feels wrong to me though, like it's not a real finish. Has anyone else seen this done in a high end place and does it actually hold up?

3 comments

3 Comments

andrew64622d ago

Oh man, my buddy's condo had that done on his new floors! It looked fine at first, but the silicone got all dirty and peeled up in high traffic spots. He ended up having to redo the whole thing properly.

betty_walker22d ago

Totally get why that feels off, it seems like such a weird shortcut. Poor @mary768, that squeaking would drive me nuts in a gym! I saw a fancy restaurant in Austin with the same clear silicone, and after a year it was already looking grimy and yellow in the gaps.

mary76822d ago

My school's gym floor has the same silicone gaps, and it squeaks like a haunted house.