I live in upstate NY. My house humdity is typically in the 30-40% range in the winter and 45-60% in summer (i rarely use my A/C). At the rare extremes, it hits mid 20s and mid/high 60s respectively.

At what humidity level should I install the 3/4 solid oak hardwoods? Also, is a moisture reader really neccessary? The hardwoods have been acclimating in my house, with the ends of the boxes open, for 10 months (yes, you read that right-10 months). Also, during install should I keep the humidity stable within 5%? For the past few weeks it has been relatively stable around 50-55% but every now and then we get a real humid day that puts it up to 65% or so. Should I run a/c on these days? Thanks for any tips you can provide!

Nick

The best is around 45% RH. If you are not using humidity controls, then expect some minor gapping in the winter (dry months) and even perhaps some minor cupping in summer as the flooring absorbs excess humidity and exerts pressure against itself. Buy a cheap humidistat, about $20.00, and monitor anything under 40, add humidity, anything over 60, de-humidify.

Thanks for the reply Gary....remind me I owe you a case of beer next time your in NY for all the help you have given me! I already have that humidistat for monitoring the house...nice little tool!

I actually read the instructions-and Bruce says for proper acclimation they want tempature to be 60-75 degrees and 35-55% humidity for 14 days. Like I said, I rarely turn the A/C on and only do when the house reaches over 80 degrees....is this going to be a problem? What happens if I keep the A/C on for the 14 days to keep it at 75 degrees, install the hardwoods, and then just turn the A/C off like I normally do?! If I install these hardwoods am I required to keep it at 75 degrees then forever, or is this just for installation purposes?! All the old houses here in the Northeast have wood floors and no A/C and i don't hear of any problems-even when it is 90 degrees out. What do you think?

How should I approach this? Should I just set my thermostat to 74 degrees and keep it there for the duration of the install? Can I at least turn it up to 78 degrees when I am not home? (but then it will be out of the 60-75 range that Bruce says it needs to be at)...i'm lost!

Nick

I think you will be alright since you know what to watch out for... the high humidity problem. If I'm not mistaken there are humidistat's that can be installed on your hvac system that will run the AC as needed to dry the air out, instead of just relying on a temperature setting to control it.

You will probably have to run the AC more often than before, but that is so the wood will perform well for you. Homeowners are obligated to try and maintain a range... so you are asking all the right questions.

Thanks Jerry....I'm gonna run the A/C and keep the inside temp at 72-73 degrees (which usually puts humidity in 45-50% range) for 10-12 days before install and then for the duration of the install. I figure, at that range, it will be the yearly average of what I experience in the winter (60-65 degrees and 35% humidity) and in summer (75-80 degrees, 50-60% humidity)....that way if I expierence cupping when it gets real humid out it will be minor, and if it shrinks in winter it will be minor, cause I will be installing it at the average tempeture/humidity instead of an extreme....am I on the right track here?

Nick

I know you guys are gonna hate me with all these questions, but does it matter how long the actual install takes so long as I keep the humidity and tempetaure pretty similiar throughout the install? I can only work on it during weekends so it will probably take a month to lay down 500 sq. ft. (I work slow!). Is this any problem?