Acclimatising your floor

 How To Acclimatise Your Floor

Your home environment is very different from the warehouse where your wooden flooring was stored. Changes in temperature and humidity can cause the boards to expand or contract slightly once they are brought into your home.

To minimise this movement, it’s recommended to acclimatise your flooring before installation. This simply involves leaving the unopened boxes in the room where the flooring will be fitted, allowing the material to adjust to the room’s temperature and moisture levels. The boxes should be stacked flat, ideally on the pallet, to allow air to circulate. Avoid standing them upright against a wall, as this can lead to warping.

If you need to store your flooring for an extended period before installation, keep it in a dry, weatherproof area such as a garage. Store the boxes off the ground, again, preferably on a pallet, to ensure airflow underneath. When you’re ready to install, move the flooring into the fitting room and follow the acclimatisation guidelines below.

Minimum acclimatisation times:

• Solid Wood: 72 hours
• Engineered Wood: 72 hours
• Laminate: 48 hours
• Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT): 48 hours

For more advice on this please call 01379 778544 or email us if out of office hours.