The Truth About Hardwood Acclimation

When it comes to the installation of hardwood flooring, surveys have shown that a number of homeowners have the impression that the hardwood products should be placed in their home before the installation process begins. Perhaps they have heard from someone in the flooring industry that these wood floors must “sit” in a home for a certain period of time to acclimatize.

Flooring experts have different answers to the duration of the hardwood acclimation process, and it is often estimated to take up to five days or over two weeks. However, this is actually an old myth that dates back to the time when wood flooring was not properly kiln dried yet. Today, wood flooring will go through kiln drying to dry the wood down to 9% moisture content which is the ideal moisture level for homes with normal living conditions.

The need for acclimation depends on the situation

As you already know, every situation is different and unique, and you may not even need acclimation at all. If you live in an area that has a very unique climate, like cold and dry winters or hot and humid summers, acclimating too much in either season can be damaging to your hardwood flooring. Sometimes, that damage could be permanent. For instance, your wood flooring will dry out when it sits in your home for too long during winter. It will then expand and permanently cup when summer hits, as your home reach the temperature of normal living conditions.

In most cases, it is recommended that homeowners opt to install their hardwood flooring right away. As most of these floors have already sat in a climate controlled location where its humidity levels are optimal (a relative humidity of 40%), you do not want to leave the uninstalled floors in your home for too long as there is a risk that the humidity level might exceed the recommended range which is 30% to 50%. This is very important as it does not only concern the health of your flooring but for your own health as well.

When is acclimation needed?

There are, of course, instances when wood flooring needs to acclimate. For example, homeowners who live in very dry regions such as Mississippi, wood acclimation is needed. Since the normal living conditions in these areas fall on the drier end of the recommended humidity range, the wood needs to dry out completely before it can be installed. If not, gaps will form when it eventually dries out after being installed.

Likewise, wood floors that need to be installed in coastal regions with higher humidity levels will need to absorb more moisture before they can be properly installed. If the wood flooring is installed when it’s too dry, the eventual expansion will lead to permanent cupping. The main idea is to acclimate the new wood flooring to whatever the normal living conditions will be and keep its moisture content within 2% of the subfloor moisture content.

All in all, new wood flooring that’s left to sit on site unnecessarily before the actual installation can inflict more harm than good. In a new home, the flooring products will be drier and will absorb the moisture in the immediate area like a sponge. If you are unsure, it is always safe to consult with a flooring professional who can advise you better about hardwood acclimation according to your specific situation.

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