If you are looking to have hardwood floors installed in your home for the first time, one of the things that you may not be aware of is that hardwood flooring needs to acclimate to your home before the flooring can be installed. Unfortunately, acclimating hardwood flooring is not a term everyone is familiar with, and as such, they may not realize the importance of acclimating the flooring material prior to installing it. Read on to see a few of the frequently asked questions about acclimating hardwood floors prior to having the hardwood installed.
What Does it Mean to Acclimate a Hardwood Floor?
When you acclimate a hardwood floor, you are essentially taking the wood planks out of the box or shipping material they arrived in, and allowing the wood planks to adjust to the conditions in your home. These conditions include the humidity level in your home and the general temperature in your home. The temperature and humidity levels in your home likely differ from the humidity and temperature the wood was exposed to during transport and storing, so allowing the wood to acclimate to your setting is important.
How Long Do You Need to Acclimate Flooring Before Flooring Install Can Be Completed?
There are many factors that affect how long it will take wood to acclimate to your home, including the general indoor and outdoor temperature difference, the overall humidity level in your home, and the type of hardwood that is being installed. As a general rule of thumb, you should allow wood to acclimate for at least three days. Your wood flooring supplier or installer may recommend acclimating the wood for slightly longer depending on the situation.
What Can Happen If You Do Not Acclimate Hardwood Flooring?
The reason why it is so important to acclimate wood flooring is that the flooring can expand or contract based on the temperature and humidity level in your home. If the wood has not acclimated to your home before it gets installed, you may experience gaps between the boards or your boards may start to butt up against each other as they expand or contract. Acclimating the floor helps to prevent these issues, both of which can be damaging to your new floors.
Each and every home is slightly different. The temperature and humidity level in your home can vary compared to someone else's. Wood can expand or contract based on the various settings in your home, and as such, it is important to take the wood planks out of the box and allow them to acclimate to your home prior to having the hardwood flooring installation completed. If you have any questions about acclimating your hardwood, talk to the hardwood floor supplier and the floor installation professional you have hired.
Share17 November 2022
Do you like your existing flooring? It isn't always easy to find floors that you love, which is why so many manufacturers create such an incredible variety of different products. However, if you know what you are looking for, choosing the right flooring doesn't have to feel like an impossible feat. I wanted to create a blog all about finding the right flooring to make things easier for homeowners across the world. Check out this blog to learn more about different products, manufacturers, installation methods, and styles. After all, you never know when you will need to find a new floor for your place.
