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20 March, 2020
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Sanding UK
When considering and planning a wood floor installation process, we must be aware of the steps that must be taken before the main installation process. Of course, there are some. Choosing the types of floors and sorts of wood suitable for the characteristics of your property and buying high-quality materials are only the beginning. You may hear recommendations (in fact, I would recommend it for sure, regardless of whether you are working with a professional accessory company or not) that when wood materials are transported to the property, where the project will start, they need a week or two to acclimatize to your new environment. Why wood floor acclimatization is important and what it really means, let us explain in this article.
Well, is acclimatisation of the wooden floor really that important, or is this the next myth we hear about wood? It depends largely on the type of wood materials you just bought! In fact, acclimatization was one thing in the near past, since the days when the wood did not dry in the oven properly and it took about two weeks to be ready to be installed. The current market offers new and improved products, including products that are manufactured according to higher standards and advanced methods. Of course, at best, the wood materials you are buying must be completely dry and ready to be installed the same day. But, not all manufacturers are so dependable and, often, you can get something you really need to acclimatize to the new environment, or dry to be ready to be installed. The process usually takes about a week or two and is much more inconvenient.
What happens if we acclimate wooden boards that are already dry and ready to be installed? Easily said: get wet! Particularly when it comes to newly built houses: there are lots of excess water. When dry wooden boards are left in that environment, they will absorb moisture like a sponge and expand. As you know, one of the greatest enemies of wood is moisture, because it causes the boards to expand and contract, which is bad for the entire floor and for each and every one of the boards. Once the boards absorb excess moisture and are installed in this condition, when the house adjusts to normal conditions, there will be a significant space in your floor.
What about dry boards? If the floorboards are allowed to acclimatize to the conditions of the dryer, then the floor will absorb moisture in normal living conditions and will be constantly hollowed out. Since each piece of wood, board and wooden board has a different grain pattern, each board and board will expand and contract in different ways and that will lead to too many differences and variations in width. In the end, you can end up with boards that are all different and even a single board can have a larger side and a smaller one, which makes it very difficult to install!