I am reading up on what to do and not to do before after and during my first hardwood installation. Needless to say I have a lot of questions so I will try to describe the location and home to help you understand my task.

Location Southern California Mountains 5000ft. temperature range from low 30 in winter to high 90 in summer. Snow and rain are common in the winter months.

House Fifteen years old. Sub floor plywood (or something that looks like plywood to a novice) approximately (450 sgft) kitchen, living room, ½ bath presently covered with a well worn carpet.

Do I need a wood moisture meter? (if so do there rent them?)

If I buy the wood in a location without much moisture (orange county) and bring it to the mountains) presently with 2 feet of snow how long would it take for the wood to acclimate?

What kind of lining would I use if I chose engineered wood/solid wood?

I have central heat with floor ducts, (no air conditioning) do I need to prepare the area around the ducts differently then the rest of the floor?