One of the most common questions we receive is whether it is necessary to acclimate hardwood flooring before installation. This process, known in English as acclimation, means getting the flooring accustomed to the area where it will be installed. Acclimating the flooring to the installation area is a precaution against potential changes in the physical dimensions of natural wood over time. Natural wood is a product that expands and contracts due to seasonal changes and fluctuations in humidity during the summer months. Being a hygroscopic material, wood releases moisture in the winter and can dry out further due to heating when humidity is low.
Here’s what you need to know about acclimating your hardwood flooring.
Why do you need to acclimate the flooring to the installation area?
As a natural product, flooring exhibits tendencies to naturally expand and contract. Each room has its unique temperature and humidity levels. Since your flooring may have been stored in a large warehouse before reaching you, the environment there can be significantly different from what it will encounter during installation. Wood absorbs moisture during humid spring and summer months and releases it in a dry environment, causing it to shrink. This is why acclimating the flooring to the environment before installation is crucial.
What is flooring acclimation?
It is the process of allowing natural wood to reach its equilibrium moisture content (EMC) under "normal living conditions." This is one of the most important preparatory steps when installing a hardwood floor. Without proper acclimation, excessive expansion, contraction, dimensional distortion, and even structural damage to your flooring can occur.
Keep in mind that flooring acclimation is not a perfect process and is dependent on the situation. Sometimes, it can cause more harm than good. For example, unfinished flooring boards in a new building may absorb moisture from the surroundings. (New structures often contain trapped moisture, which can lead to cupping or concave shapes in the wood.) Moreover, each species of wood expands and contracts in different ways.
How do you effectively acclimate your flooring to the environment?
To acclimate hardwood flooring, place the packages in the room where they will be installed for 2 to 3 days. This allows the flooring to adjust to the temperature and humidity levels of the room. Stacking individual boxes on top of each other and opening them will facilitate air circulation throughout the packages, ensuring even distribution of air and moisture. You can use spacers between layers to improve air circulation. If you have flooring for multiple rooms, sort the flooring by room and store it in the rooms where it will be installed. Ensure that everything in the room, such as concrete slabs or plaster, is completely dry before acclimating your flooring.
In situations involving unnatural high heat transfer that directly affects the bottom surface of the flooring, such as underfloor heating, different procedures may need to be implemented even after the flooring installation. This will be the subject of a different article.
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