10/25/07

Humidity and Wood Floors Don't Mix

In Florida, humidity can be a real problem when installing a wood floor. We've been attempting to install a wood floor in a customer's new construction home for the past two weeks, with little success, due to the humidity. Normally, when and air conditioner has been run regularly in a home, this isn't a problem. However, this home is under construction - almost finished. The permanent power hasn't been turned on yet, which means that neither has the air conditioning unit.

For this particular product, the manufacturer recommends that the A/C be run for fourteen days prior to the wood even being brought into the home. Once the fourteen days is up, the wood can be brought in, but still should acclimate for another 72 hours before installation should begin.

The requirement is a humidity level of no more than 25 - 40%. Our hygrometer test registered a reading of 67% at the lowest level. So, we wait. The repercussions of installing with too high a humidity reading, or without giving the wood a chance to acclimate are just too high to risk. Once the air has been turned on and the wood acclimates, the installation will be a breeze and the customer will have a beautiful wood floor.