Acclimation is important for your floors

Before installing new floors sometimes professionals will recommend acclimation of those floors. Firstly, it should be EVERY TIME for almost any floor. Acclimation is good for most building materials since there can be dramatic differences in temparature & humidity between the products' origin and the jobsite.

So especially for hardwood (solid or engineered), bamboo, cork, laminate acclimation of 2-7 days is recommended. Here are my own timing recommendations:

• Pre-finished solid hardwood 2 Days minimum, 4-7 days preferred.
• Unfinished solid hardwood 2 Days minimum, 6-7 days preferred.
• Pre-finished or unfinished engineered hardwood 2 days
  
• Solid Bamboo 2 days minimum, 4-7 preferred.
• Engineered Bamboo 2 days
• Cork 2 days
• Laminate 2 days
• Carpet 1 day if possible (mostly a temperature issue)
  
• Tile 1 day if possible
• Any Radiant Heat jobsites should double the preferred time and the heat must be maintained at constant room temperature the entire time of acclimation AND the flooring should be on a pallett or something not directly on the heated floor.
  

How you acclimate a floor is as important as the concept itself. Here are my guidelines:

• Leave the product in the cartons or package. Do NOT open.
• The product must be in the room(s) that the intended installation will occur in or nearby.
• The temperature of the jobsite and specifically of the installation area should be normal room temperature.
• Acclimation CANNOT occur in a garage when the installation is inside the home.
• The interior Relative Humidity (RH) should be as close to normal as possible.
• Check the subfloor moisture level and the product moisture level when you start acclimation. Inexpensive Wood Meter
• Prior to installation check the moisture levels again on the subfloor and product to make sure that the original differences are closing in on each other.
• Do not have a non-heated jobsite put the floor in the room, install it; then tape and texture walls (which adds massive humidity) and then turn on the heater. Your floor will fail.

The whole point of acclimation is to normalize the moisture levels between the product and the subfloor/jobsite as much as possible. Humidity is everywhere is is changing constantly. Your interior humidity is also always changing especially as you run heat or air conditioning.

Despite all of these words the concept is simple: Get the product into the rooms that they will be installed in a couple days or a bit longer for best results.

BTW - There are exceptions to every rule, Kahrs for example doesn't require acclimation time, however, I would still recommend having "normal living conditions" inside the installation area.

The Vodoo about Bamboo

I have said for years that bamboo is a great product, but not all bamboo is created equal.

I just talked to a customer that was totally oversold about what bamboo can do by some flooring simpleton who said whatever they needed to say to get the sale.

How does that guy sleep at night? He told the customer that the floor wouldn't dent or scratch despite them having a 70 pound german shepard.

In the future I will discuss proper expectations for your flooring when you have pets. (Especially big dogs!)

Sent via BlackBerry from Cingular Wireless

Cork Flooring - Click Together or Glue Down

Cork flooring has been growing in popularity and for several good reasons:

• The aesthetics are unique and beautiful
• It is a green or earth friendly flooring option
• It has flexible installation options including floating and glue down.
• Now more than ever it is priced right and available.

Customers often ask where can I use a cork floor and the answer is that you can use it almost anywhere.

I personally don't recommend it for bathrooms or laundry rooms, but it can be tough enough to withstand kitchen, dining room, living room and other primary living areas normal usage.


There are more and more cork options out there which on one hand is very good, but it can make it tougher to tell the difference between quality levels. I find that even experts in flooring, architects, designers and contractors still are hard pressed to visually detect differences between similar looking flooring options including cork.

Long story short - cork is cool and it can be very tough too, but let's be clear - it does require maintenance. The surface that is applied to cork generally allows for additional applications or coats of finish to be applied in the future which can increase the lifespan of your cork floor.

RECOMMENDED READING: Is that a Cork on your Fork? (yes a thinly veiled reference to the movie Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.)

Earth Friendly - Made In America - Totally Cool

One of the most compelling, yet nearly unknown, flooring options on the market today is Mesquite hardwood flooring. The deep inner beauty of this floor is almost unparalleled. The pillowed edges combined with hand scraping make for a truly unique floor.

One cool thing about Mesquite is that it is actually a bush rather than a tree and in fact ranchers in Texas often think of it as an annoyance. They have tried to clear it in every conceivable way: cutting, shredding, grinding, pulling and even burning. But the Mesquite is so resilient that it comes back stronger and thicker than before. (Sounds just like the weeds in my yard.) This resilience, however, is what makes the flooring so sustainable. Throughout Texas in the United States as well as many parts of Central and South America there are supplies of Mesquite to last thousands of years even if there was no new growth.

For only being a bush it can grow very large over a several decades. Large enough to have 7" wide planks that are 3/4" thick with planks that are typically about 30"-36" in lengths. Homeowners can choose between a random width look which combines 3", 5" and 7" planks with a custom finish or they can simply go for the style pictured to the right which is a 4" standard width with random lengths from 1' to 5' in length. (avg length 32")

The floor is incredibly stable which allows you to glue down the 1/2" thick Mesquite hardwood planks right down onto concrete! That is amazing in and of itself, but when you combine that with the rich beauty that goes from top to bottom in the plank so wear and tear only make it look more natural.

There are a number of old style missions in Mexico and other parts of Central America with 100 year old Mesquite flooring that is still looking strong today. Other examples of this unique lumber being used as a floor are found throughout the South West of America as well as Mexico.

Keep your eyes out for Mesquite Hardwood. This could be an emerging fashion choice for flooring especially for those with an eye for building green.

It's About Flooring!

Over the years I have worked with thousands of people from around the world who are in the midst of a flooring project and need help. I have tried to help these folks who are stuck in what I call Steve's Stages of Floor Shopping. Hopefully I have been able to reduce the frustation levels for these homeowners that seems almost unavoidable when buying floors.

I have been to at least 100 factories in countries like the United States, Canada, China, Germany, England, France and more. My time each day besides running a company is to continue to advance my own knowledge of flooring. I do whatever I can to be a knowledgeable and credible flooring expert. Some of the best minds in flooring are contributors to my own education and I am thankful for that.

My focus on flooring combined with my interest in technology has developed into a business that I started in 1998 called iFLOOR which now includes both online products and services and well as local iPUPs. (iPUP = Internet Pick Up Point)

I am starting this blog as a method of sharing my flooring journeys with you in the hope that by sharing information in an objective open way your projects will be more successful.

It's About Flooring!