Should I Acclimate My Hardwood Flooring?

One of the questions I get asked the most is: "Do I need to acclimate my hardwood flooring before having it installed?". It's a good question to ask because it can make or break the installation job. The short answer is yes, your hardwood flooring should be acclimated. Now for the rest of the story.

It really depends on the type of hardwood you are having installed. If it is a solid hardwood, you most definitely want to acclimate it first. Solid hardwoods are much more sensitive to changes in moisture, even the moisture that is present in the air, and also to temperature. Solid wood will expand and contract depending on those two factors. So a good rule of thumb is to let it acclimate in the room(s) that it will be installed in for around one week. Some people say 72 hours is enough, and it may be at times, depending on temperature and humidity. I always like to be on the safe side and say one week though, because installing solid hardwood floors before they have adequately been acclimated can lead to many problems. Always check with the manufacturers instructions and make sure you follow their recommendations at the very least to ensure the validity of the product warranty.

Engineered hardwood flooring is a bit of a different animal. Engineered hardwood floors are quite stable in the presence of humidity and varying temperatures. And it's for this reason that I have always preferred engineered hardwood over solid hardwood. Some manufacturers will even say that it is not necessary to acclimate their engineered hardwood flooring before installation. Again, to be on the safe side, I would still let it acclimate at least 48 hours before installing it.

As I mentioned earlier, you always want to stay within the manufacturers recommendations. If you acclimate a little longer, that is fine, but at a minimum don't go less than what is stated in the instructions. If a problem should ever arise after the flooring is installed, the inspector that is sent out to look at the floor from the manufacturer will look for any violations of the stated recommendation for that particular floor. If the rules were not followed, they won't stand behind the warranty.

So, back to the beginning, the short answer is yes, by all means let the floor acclimate, especially if it is a solid hardwood.