How Long Does Hardwood Flooring Need to Acclimate?

You've explored your flooring options and chosen a hardwood flooring style that suits your space. Once the flooring arrives in your home, you might be ready to kick off the installation, whether you're tackling it yourself or outsourcing it to the pros. But wait! Before you start your project, you must let your hardwood flooring acclimate to the space, whether it's your kitchen, bedroom, or entryway.

Doing so can save you a lot of hassle down the line. Plus, during the acclimation period, you can still get to work on prepping the room for the installation. So, if you're wondering how long hardwood flooring needs to acclimate, this is the guide for you. Learn all the details about hardwood flooring acclimation—an easy and essential step in any successful flooring installation.

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The Importance of Hardwood Flooring Acclimation

Let's dive into the science behind your new hardwood floors to understand why acclimation is so important. Solid wood flooring is hygroscopic, which means the floor's moisture content will change depending on the humidity of the air in your space. Imagine a sponge absorbing moisture in a moisture-rich environment and losing moisture in dry air. This same concept applies when it comes to your floors.

So, your floors need time to acclimate to the humidity levels in your room. The wood can expand and contract based on moisture levels; you want these changes to occur before installation. If they happen after, then you might notice changes in your flooring. When adjusting to higher moisture levels, boards can expand, looking cupped or swollen. If the boards lose moisture, they can shrink in width, resulting in larger gaps between boards. Remember, wood is a beautiful, natural product, so these changes in response to the atmosphere are to be expected.

Acclimation can help you minimize these changes, so patience is key when you're preparing for a hardwood flooring installation. Let's learn more about the acclimation process, including details about how long you should wait to install after your floors arrive.

How to Acclimate Hardwood Flooring

Successful hardwood flooring acclimation begins by ensuring your room has the appropriate temperature and humidity levels. You want the room's temperature to reflect how you normally keep it. Here's how to acclimate hardwood flooring—all it requires is some time and a simple tool.

In the weeks preceding your flooring installation, keep your room's temperature and humidity levels steady. Make sure your indoor relative humidity levels don't fluctuate beyond 20%. Even more importantly, note that a regular relative humidity under 30% or above 70% can lead to cupping, gaps between boards, or buckling.

Monitoring your indoor humidity is easy. A hygrometer is a small and inexpensive monitor that can measure humidity levels. Simply place it in the room where you plan to install the flooring, and make sure your levels stay in the 30% to 70% range to ensure your flooring installation is successful.

Once the flooring arrives, it's time! You're ready for acclimation. If you're wondering, "Can hardwood flooring acclimate in the box?": it can—when done right. Open the boxes along the tape-side seam and remove any plastic wrapping surrounding the flooring. Use a moisture meter to determine the moisture content of your wood flooring and make a note of it. Let the flooring sit in the opened boxes until acclimation is achieved, which you'll know you've reached when the readings on your moisture meter no longer fluctuate.

How long does hardwood flooring need to acclimate? The duration of this process can vary depending on your room's humidity levels and the wood species you've selected, so consult your Warranty, Installation, and Care Guide (WIC). The good news? Acclimation is a passive process, so you don't have to do more than wait. Your floors are acclimated when the average moisture content of the flooring is within 2% of the subfloor. So, keep your moisture meter on hand to monitor the acclimation process.

Tips for Acclimating Your New Flooring

• Keep in mind that your manufacturer's instructions will offer guidance on precisely how long you should acclimate your floors. Timing can vary from one species of wood to the next, so it's important to consult your WIC for specific information related to your product.
• Exotic hardwood flooring, such as Brazilian cherry, often takes longer to acclimate than domestic varieties, such as red oak, hickory, and maple.
• When determining the moisture content of the floors, check multiple boards. A good rule of thumb is to check 40 boards for every 1,000 square feet of flooring. Then, determine the average moisture content of those 40 boards.
• Acclimation may take longer in very dry or very humid areas, so be patient and don't rush the process.

Hardwood Flooring Acclimation for Lasting Floors

Following the right steps before and during installation can help ensure that your floors give you a lifetime of high performance. Acclimation is an important first step in the installation process. For more tips on installing your new floors, check out our installation guides, including these tips and tricks for installing hardwood flooring. Then, explore the hardwood flooring options available at LL Flooring to find a style you love.