Can You Leave Hardwood Flooring In A Cold Environment

For proper acclimation to occur the temperature and humidity of the hardwoods must match the temperature and humidity of the room they re in.

Can you leave hardwood flooring in a cold environment. Climate control the room you store your leftover flooring in must be climate controlled. Generally speaking if you need to store your hardwood flooring for a period of time the wood should be exposed to as little change as possible from the warehouse. We are now finishing an 18x18 foot addition that has a crawl space underneath. Neither is leaving your hardwood floors in a very hot or cold home while you are away.

As you can see engineered wood flooring is more stable than solid wood flooring. One of the reasons for this is that the bottom layers are made of cross sided layers that move on opposite sides. Solid wood flooring has been used in those environments for years while based on warranties much engineered flooring and some factory finished flooring apparently are not designed for those environments. You should really store your hardwood flooring in a controlled environment never a garage or basement.

The most important factor is obviously the humidity level. Direct sunlight can damage hardwood too. Pick a flooring material that can handle the normal local environment. If the hardwood is being store above 50 humidity it will take in a ton of moisture and expand this will typically happen in the summer months when humidity is at it s highest.

Storing hardwood flooring in your garage might work but only if it meets a few requirements. There is a room in my house that never seems to get warm. Never leave a hardwood floor in an unheated environment if possible. You can keep them inside of the boxes they come in or.

What could go wrong the national wood flooring association recommends keeping the humidity in your home between 30 and 50 percent and the temperature. Relative humidity levels of 35 55 lauzon solid hardwood floors. Most cabins lodges or unattended homes do not use tongue and groove hardwood flooring opting instead for. Temperature and moisture levels have a dramatic impact on your floors integrity.

The climate where you store your hardwood flooring will impact how well it holds up. Before you lay down your precious hardwood floors get them acclimated. Leave the hvac on at a low setting. Use a product that can handle low rh environments.

If you absolutely have to leave the home unattended use a cold weather dehumidifier or ideally electric heaters set above freezing to keep the temperature moderated. Give your woods a chance to get used to their new environment. Wood flooring installation below grade in a basement or in any room where moisture could be a problem like a kitchen laundry or bath is not a great idea.