Hi All -

I just wanted to get some of your experiences. We bought some Hallmark Flooring, 5" wide engineered flooring in hickory a while back, and it's been sitting in our house for a few months (with ends of boxes open) while we work on the rest of the remodel. We're getting ready to install this weekend.

I realized that I read the installation instructions incorrectly - I thought we only had to maintain a humidity level of 35-55 while we install, not year round. Same for Temperature, it needs to be 60-80 year round. I am in Portland Oregon, and my house definitely gets above 80 in the summer, and most of us don't have air conditioning.

During the Summer and Early fall we were well within the humidity ranges, but now we tend to hang out in the 57-59 zone, so definitely above the range but not by much.

I don't think we're going to be able to keep it between 35 and 55 and 60 and 80 year round, and I know that we have lots of hardwood floors around this town and it's not like people are always running dehumidifiers and what not.

I'm wondering how concerned I should be? I called Hallmark and talked with them and they said that as long as it's not prolonged, it shouldn't be a problem, but I should be trying to avoid conditions outside of those ranges.

I understand that I'm likely going to be voiding the warranty and I've made my peace with that, but I'm looking for a practical understanding of what to really expect.

Thanks,
Kim

I wouldn't be to concerned up there where you live. Even down here at times the rh gets into the teens outside but your house being lived in keeps the rh up. It'sw not like your in a real arid zone like down here.

Oh BTW, I keep seeing that acclimation suggestion in the manufacturers installation requirements about opening the ends. This is absolutely wrong. The ends will dry down or swell up just because they are more exposed than the wood in the center. Cut the tops off the boxes and stack it criss-cross so air can get around the boxes.