Installation

How long should hardwood acclimate before installation on the Gulf Coast?

Hardwood should acclimate to the home’s normal, conditioned interior climate before installation — with the air conditioning running — rather than to a fixed number of days.

Acclimation isn’t about a set time; it’s about bringing the wood’s moisture content into equilibrium with the environment it will live in. That means the home must already be at living conditions (AC on, 30–50% RH) during acclimation.

Acclimating boards in a hot, un-conditioned house does more harm than good, because the wood equilibrates to the wrong conditions and then moves after install. We verify moisture content of the wood and the slab before starting.

acclimationmoisture contentequilibriumAC on
Planning a floor in Florida?

We give free in-home estimates across the Gulf Coast. Request one or call (941) 666-0138.