One of the most important but least discussed steps to installing hardwood floors is acclimation. If not acclimated, hardwood can suffer a number of issues over time.
As hardwood is made from an organic material (wood), it needs special care and maintenance. One of these precautions is acclimation,which is the process of adjusting the humidity levels of the wood to the environment it will be placed in.
Since hardwood undergoes dimensional change from humidity, if you don’t acclimate it, you’ll experience issues with your flooring later on. But how exactly do you acclimate hardwood? Let’s find out!
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What can happen if you don’t acclimate?
When the hardwood shipping arrives, you’ll probably be eager to install it as soon as possible. So, you might ask yourself, is acclimating such a big deal? It is.
Without acclimating, hardwood is prone to different undesirable effects, such as gapping or cupping. Gapping occurs when hardwood flooring’s moisture level is higher than the environment, shrinking the planks and resulting in gaps between their edges. You can read more about cupping or other hardwood affections in this article!
How do you acclimate hardwood?
Acclimating can seem like a simple process at first but you will need a couple of specialized tools to measure moisture. It is always best to contact an expert for hardwood flooring installation, and you can ask them to acclimate it too.
Firstly, it is necessary to measure the environment’s moisture level and compare it to the hardwood’s level. Then, if the subfloor is made out of wood, it is important to also measure its moisture level.
Then, you will need to place the cartons in the room where they’ll be installed to bring the hardwood’s humidity level to equilibrium. According to the National Wood Flooring Association, one should leave it spaced out or staggered for at least 3 days. There is no definite maximum time, you should leave it until the planks reach the desired moisture level.
With some geographic exceptions, you should keep wood flooring within a humidity range of 30 to 50 percent and a temperature range of 60 to 80 degrees. Of course, this isn’t exact, but it’s a good guideline to have in mind.
As you can see, while acclimating is not a particularly difficult process, it does require certain technical knowledge. Thus, you should always contact a professional. Acclimating is a key step for a successful hardwood flooring installation.