It’s always at the worst time. You’re rushing to get out the door, and suddenly it won’t shut all the way. Or you notice one of your bedroom doors sticks more than usual during the summer. Maybe you’ve spotted a slight gap where the baseboard meets the floor that wasn’t there before. These small things may seem random, but they all point to the same issue: your woodwork is moving. And that’s not unusual.
If you’ve ever had a painter finish a project only for cracks or gaps to show up a few months later, you know how frustrating it can be. You might feel like something was done wrong or that your house is falling apart. But often, it’s just the natural behavior of real wood reacting to its environment.
At Brush & Roll Painting, we’ve been painting interior woodwork, including trim, baseboards, and doors, for homeowners in the Omaha area since 1996. One of the most common issues we walk homeowners through is the expansion and contraction of wood. It shows up in nearly every home with real wood trim or doors, especially in areas with drastic seasonal changes like we get here in Nebraska.
We’ve seen this behavior in new homes, old homes, and even newly remodeled ones. We know it’s frustrating when a door painted in spring fits fine until July. Or when freshly caulked trim shows a tiny crack when winter sets in. That’s not a bad paint job (although with the wrong product and no prep, it is possible). Sometimes it’s just wood doing what it naturally does, breathing with the weather.
This article will help you understand:
- Why wood expands and contracts in Omaha homes
- What parts of your home are most affected (like doors and baseboards)
- What that means for painting projects
- Why product selection matters, especially for flexibility
- How to reduce the effects of expansion and contraction over time
By the end, you’ll know what to expect when painting your home’s woodwork and how to work with it, not against it.
Why Does Wood Expand and Contract?
Wood is a natural material, and like most natural materials, it responds to changes in its environment. The biggest factor that affects it is humidity.
Here’s what happens:
- When humidity is high, wood soaks in moisture from the air and expands.
- When humidity is low (like during dry winter months), it releases moisture and shrinks.
This cycle happens over and over throughout the year. Even if your home has good insulation and a good HVAC system, small shifts in indoor humidity still occur with each season. That’s why you’ll see trim gaps or sticking doors appear, disappear, and reappear again.
Omaha has hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. These swings in humidity and temperature are exactly the kind of conditions that exaggerate wood movement.
It’s not your imagination; things really do shift more dramatically here than in areas with a milder climate. That’s why we take this into account for every interior painting project we do.
Where Do You See the Most Movement in Wood?
Real Wood Baseboards and Trim
Even when they’re nailed and caulked into place, real wood baseboards will still move slightly with the seasons. You might see:
- Hairline cracks between the trim and the wall
- Gaps at joints between trim pieces
- Cracked caulk where the baseboard meets the floor or the wall
This is totally normal with real wood. Cheaper materials like MDF may not move as much, but they also don’t last as long or look as good.
Interior Doors
If you’ve ever had a door that sticks in July but swings freely in January, that’s because the door itself swells with moisture in summer. This is especially common with solid-core or solid-wood doors.
You may also notice:
- Paint is rubbing off where the door hits the jamb
- Small cracks at the corners where panels join
- Uneven gaps between the door and trim
Sometimes homeowners think their doors have warped, but often it’s just temporary swelling. Still, if the door was tight to begin with, expansion may make it uncomfortably snug.
Wood Cabinets
Just like doors and trim, cabinets made from real wood can expand and contract with changes in humidity. You might notice:
- Hairline cracks where the cabinet doors meet the frame
- Gaps opening or closing around inset doors or drawer fronts
- Slight rubbing or sticking when opening and closing doors in humid months
This is especially common in kitchens and bathrooms, where moisture levels rise and fall quickly. Even well-finished cabinets can shift a little seasonally, which is why flexible coatings and proper prep make such a big difference in how long your cabinet paint job lasts.
How This Affects Painting Projects
Understanding how wood behaves helps you understand why prep and product choice are so important for a long-lasting paint job.
Paint Can Crack or Pull Apart
When wood expands or contracts, paint, especially low-quality paint, can crack or split. You might see:
- Hairline cracks at panel joints on doors
- Gaps or breaks in caulked seams
- Chipping around corners where wood pulls apart slightly
This doesn’t necessarily mean the paint job failed. It just means the wood moved more than the product could flex with.
Caulk Can Separate
This is one of the most common things homeowners call us about. Caulk that looked perfect right after the job is now showing tiny cracks or pulled edges.
Cheaper caulks dry out and shrink quickly, which makes them brittle. Better caulks have more elasticity and can stretch as the wood shifts.
Best Product for Painting Woodwork
When it comes to painting woodwork that expands and contracts, the product you choose really matters — not just for how it looks, but how it holds up.
At Brush & Roll Painting, we use Command by Benjamin Moore for woodwork because it has excellent flexibility and durability. It’s a urethane-modified acrylic, which means it’s designed to handle shifts in surface movement.
We’ve used it on thousands of doors and baseboards in Omaha homes. It holds color well, resists cracking, and has just the right amount of give when wood expands or contracts. It also dries fast and cures hard, which helps prevent blocking on doors that close tightly.
If a painter uses a cheaper trim paint, you might not notice a problem right away. But once the seasons change, you may start seeing cracks or chips, especially where wood panels or joints move. Saving a few bucks on the product upfront can lead to touch-ups or even full repaints sooner than expected.
Tips for Maintaining Woodwork in Your Home
There’s no way to fully stop wood from expanding and contracting, but you can reduce how much it affects your paint job and your peace of mind.
1. Use a Humidifier in Winter
Keep indoor humidity at a consistent level, ideally between 35 and 50 percent, to reduce the amount of shrinking in colder months.
2. Use a Dehumidifier in Summer (Especially in Basements)
During Omaha’s hot, humid summers, indoor humidity can climb fast, especially in lower levels like basements. If your basement feels muggy or smells musty, there’s a good chance the woodwork down there is soaking up extra moisture. Running a dehumidifier can help regulate moisture levels, prevent doors from swelling too much, and reduce the chance of trim gaps or paint issues. It also helps protect your home from other moisture-related problems, like mildew and warping.
3. Expect Some Minor Shifting
Don’t panic if you see a small crack or a sticking door during a humid spell. Unless it’s severe, it’s probably just a temporary movement.
4. Ask About the Products Being Used
Before hiring a painter, ask:
- What paint do you use on trim and doors?
- Do you use caulk designed for expansion and contraction?
- How do you prep real wood before painting?
A good painter will have specific answers. A great one will know exactly why those answers matter.
Painting Real Wood in Omaha Homes
If your doors are sticking or your trim shows cracks, you’re not alone. It’s something nearly every Omaha homeowner with real wood deals with. But now, you understand why it happens and what you can do about it.
At Brush & Roll Painting, we’ve seen this cycle for decades. That’s why we prep the right way and use high-quality products like Benjamin Moore Command that can keep up with the movement.
If you're thinking about repainting your interior woodwork, doors, or trim in Omaha, NE, click the button below to get a quote for the project.
We also recommend using our interior painting and woodwork pricing calculator to estimate the cost of your next project before reaching out.
