Acclimatizing Your Floor

It is no secret that the wood flooring that you have chosen to have fitted in your home is completely natural and, as such, was living and breathing a matter of weeks ago. It may be strong, solid and unmovable now, but that is not to say that it has not retained some of the characteristics it had when it was a living organism. Trees naturally contract and expand in line with the natural environment and so will your wood flooring. Temperature, humidity and moisture levels all have a major impact on your flooring and are all present in your home whether you know it or not. This is why acclimatizing your wood flooring is an absolute must.

Acclimatizing your wood flooring is designed to help the wood itself get used to the conditions in your home so that it will not split and crack as a result of expanding and contracting within your home. Your flooring should be in the room that it is to be laid in to ensure that it can adjust to the moisture level and relative temperature of the room. If it is not given a chance to do this then it will begin to swell, buckle and gap at a later date. As such, it is essential.

Wood flooring is delivered to your home or collected by you. Before you even take it into the room, you need to test it for moisture. You should then check the wood flooring again to make sure that it has acclimatized to the humidity and temperature of the room over a period of three to four days. However, experts have advocated the acclimatization of wood flooring for at least two weeks before it is installed.

The process involved is easy to follow. The steps below tell you exactly what to do:

Check The Room Conditions

You should check the temperature and humidity before installation, with the moisture not exceeding 12 to 14%.

Check Weather Conditions

If your wood flooring was delivered on a damp or wet day then it will have absorbed some of the outside moisture, in which case you should leave it for a few days extra. Try to have it installed on a dry day as well because that will help to prevent shrinking and cracking after installation.

Check Plaster And Paint

If you are plastering or painting the room as well as laying the wood flooring then make sure that it is completely dry as any remaining moisture will seep into the flooring.

Check Humidity

You may choose to vacate your home or have your wood flooring installed when you are on holiday. However, this is the worst thing you could do because the humidity of the house will not represent the actual humidity of your home when you are there. The floors should have chance to adjust to the normal activity and environmental conditions in the room beforehand.

All of the above should help you if you wish to keep your wood flooring in as perfect condition as possible. For help in measuring the moisture level of the room, please navigate to our moisture testing article.