Everyone’s heard of hardwood floors, but that doesn’t mean everyone knows what acclimation is or why it’s important. While your contractor will likely be taking care of everything, we feel that it’s important for homeowners to know and understand how their floor works and how to care for it. That way, fewer mistakes will be made, and everyone will get the most out of their new hardwood floor.
So What is Acclimation? If you look at the word, the definition is actually pretty straight forward. Acclimation is the process of having your floor get used to the conditions (or climate) of your house. For hardwood, this means giving the flooring time to adjust to the temperature and humidity of your home before it’s even installed. If a floor is installed before it’s acclimated, then cracking, gaps, and other problems may occur.
Before You Start you’ll need to make sure your home’s climate control is functioning properly. Wood floors need a humidity between 30-50%, so before you even unload a single box of flooring, you’ll have to make sure your house is meeting that specification. You may also want an expert to take a look at your HVAC system just to double check that everything is working as it should. Finally, be sure to have all the prep work for your new floor done before moving on to the next step.
Bring in the Wood! Once your home’s humidity is perfect, it’s time to bring your flooring home, open the boxes, and let it sit for four or five days. For the best results, use something to prop the boxes up so that air can get to all sides of the wood. We know it can hard to wait, but being patient is a necessary part of having a beautiful, hardwood floor.
As the saying goes, the best things are worth waiting for! Hardwood flooring is no exception. If you have any questions on acclimating your new floor, contact the TimberTown nearest you today!
