What to know about acclimating hardwood flooring

A new hardwood floor can only maintain its look for decades if planks are correctly acclimated before installation.

About All Floors' installers have the skill and experience to handle the wood flooring installation routine from start to finish. We are a family-owned business with a showroom in Douglassville and Wyomissing, PA.

Acclimation process

Hardwood planks must reach a moisture content level in equilibrium with a new environment. Thus, the planks are brought into your home at least three days before the floor is installed, where they become accustomed to your home's temperature and humidity level.

When wood neither loses nor gains moisture, equilibrium moisture content has been reached.

Customer preparation

Your home's heating or air conditioning system should be running at least five days before installers arrive. Solid hardwood flooring can acclimate to normal living conditions inside the house when the HVAC system is maintained in the usual way.

After planks arrive at your door, they are removed from boxes to accommodate proper airflow, so ample space should be available.

Maintenance required

After installing wood flooring in your home, ensure humidity and temperature are kept within an acceptable range to avoid damage. For example, plank size won't change if a relative humidity level between 30 and 50-percent is maintained year-round.

As for temperature, your thermostat is set between 60 and 80-degrees Fahrenheit for optimal wood flooring performance.

Hardwood flooring is our specialty!

About All Floors installs hardwood floors and offers free in-home estimates and design consultation. In addition, our hardwood flooring company offers superior wood flooring brands and flooring services.

We serve an area in Pennsylvania, including Reading, Gilbertsville, Pottstown, Birdsboro, Boyertown, and Exeter. You can shop in-store at one of our two showrooms or at home for the perfect hardwood for your flooring upgrade.