Will be installing 1700 sqft of 5/8 horizontal natural bamboo. It has been sitting in my basement for over 4 months (still packaged), off the floor by 2" thick styrofoam strips.

We are getting ready to install it upstairs over 5/8" plywood subfloor. Do we need to acclimitize it upstairs where it is going to be installed ? Do we have to take them actually out of the boxes, or open each of them ? For how long ? Should we turn the electrical heaters on to dry the air ?

As well, will face nailing the first row with a 18 gauge nailer be OK, if Yes, then at what spacing ?

thanks in advance

Yes, it needs to loose the moisture it gained sitting on the boat across the ocean, along with sitting in your humid basement. You need a moisture meter, a hygrometer and the NWFA moisture content chart along with, the calculation conversion for bamboo.

Thanks Floorguy.
Where do I find a hygrometer & moisture meter (what is the difference between both ?) ? What sort of cost are we talking about ?

Do I need to open the boxes and take out every single plank or can I just open the box and stack them one on top of the other at 90 degree to each other ?

thanks

Any response to my last post ?
thanks in advance.

i believe you can pick up a MC meter for about 30 bucks.

as for stacking the boxes...i never opened all of mine. hell, i had 55 boxes sitting in the dining room for over a week and if they were all opened, i'd have a big mess on my hands. i just opened them as i used them. the wood wasn't bamboo, but i would imagine the same difference.