Did you know that flooring as an acclimation requirement? If you have installed bamboo flooring, cork flooring, or any type of hardwood flooring this is a term that you should become familiar with! When installing custom flooring in your home, it is important to examine the manufacturer's instructions closely with regard to warranty coverage and the environment. Acclimation is a pre-installation process that allows your flooring material to adjust itself to the environment of its installation. Policies vary among manufacturers, but the concept is basically the same. Before installing, place your flooring in the room and let it sit for two or three days at a temperature between 60 F and 75F and the humidity at 35 % to 55%. This humidity range is not the outdoor humidity level, but the actual indoor humidity level. As the seasons vary widely in different parts of the country, some areas experience lesser swings in humidity than others. If you're installing hardwood flooring in the desert southwest, as an example, this has very low humidity levels year-round, whereas coastal regions have higher levels throughout the year. If you live in a northern part of the country, there are both extremes of humidity from very dry winters the humid summers. If you have very low humidity levels, humidifiers can be used to maintain the recommended range of humidity and prevent your flooring from shrinking and separating. Laminate flooring, cork flooring, and bamboo flooring are all sensitive to humidity changes. If you have very high humidity levels air conditioners and humidifiers are used to keep your floors from swelling and buckling. Watching the humidity levels is important for two reasons. First of all for manufacturers for a tease, and secondly, you obviously want to keep your floor in good shape for a long time to come. |
