Having hardwood or LVT installed in your home or office? If so, we’re pretty sure you have heard the term acclimation or that your flooring material needs to acclimate before it is installed. Right? Well, as many times as someone has heard this term, there are some people who either have no clue what it means or are still a little unsure. We can help!
Acclimation is the process of conditioning the moisture contect of wood (or lvt) flooring to the environment in which it will be installed in. This is VERY important. If the material does not acclimate to the environment, it is likely that it may shrink or swell, depending on the moisture in the air.
When you’ve purchased these types of flooring, your sales person will explain to you that the material will have to be delivered at least 2 days prior to the installation date. The exact amount of time really depends on the quantity of the material, but it should never be any less than 2 full days. When the material is delivered, it should be stored inside the home (or area) that it will be installed in. DO NOT leave the material outside on a patio or in a garage. Once the material is delivered, be sure to maintain the temperature (the temperature should be the normal living condition temperature) from the day it’s delivered until a couple days after installation to be sure the acclimation process is complete and the moisture levels do not change until after the install.
Upon delivery, open the cartons or packages of the flooring material and raise them slightly off the ground. This helps the moisture content of the wood adjust to that of the environment and allow for proper acclimation. The material can also be removed from the cartons completely and cross stack the materials, with a small space between each layer.
