A wood floor system comprises a plurality of parallel rows of floorboards laid end-to-end, and each of the floorboards includes a compression nub extending along a side surface thereof, adjacent the top surface. These compression nubs affirmatively engage an opposing side surface of an adjacent floorboard row, thereby sealing, or isolating, the top surface of the floor from the side surfaces of the floorboard rows. This uniformly distributes expansion and contraction forces throughout the floor, due to uniform spacing between the floorboard rows. The isolation of the upper floorboard surface from the side surface also prevents undesired downward migration or flow of liquid finishing solution, which can have serious adverse affects for a wood floor. The invention reduces the total volume of finishing solution necessary for finishing the floor, and it also reduces nulloverwoodnull during floor installation.