Good morning,

My husband and I purchased some hardwood flooring at an auction a few years ago and have it stored in our storage locker.

We are ready to install and have hired someone to do it.

Not knowing what to do I would like some advice to be sure I know what to ask before we have him begin.

We plan to bring it home in the next few days and store it in our finished basement, how long should it sit before he can begin?

Should the boxes be opened up or is okay to just spread them out not opened?

Should he be checking for moisture issues, the flooring is going on the top floor of the house, we have a cathedral entrance and will install it in our living room, bedrooms and hallways.

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciatedl

Karen

The floor must be acclimatized to the area its being installed in, certainly not the basement.
If you have hired a flooring contractor to install it, you should listen to his advice for any prep that needs to be done.
If you have hired a handyman or kid off the street, then I wish you well
The boxes should be opened up and even better, the material should be racked out to allow for full acclimatizing, espencially since this product has been in storage so long.

Thank you, we have planned to bring the flooring home and have it in the house for 3 days before installing it.

We are about to hire a local contractor to do the work.

I understand you wishing me luck, we just want to ask all the right questions to be sure we have a qualified contractor.

Well I will help you as much as I can, but perhaps you could provide a few details about the project:
What is the flooring you purchased?
What type of sub-floor do you have?
Is there anything unusual about the space the floor is going into, or do you have any special ideas about how you wish the floor to look, such as borders, inlays, diagonal, etc.

The flooring is called - IMA Nely Exotic UV Prefinished T&G solid wood flooring - Russian Maple - Both sides completely moisture resistant.

We are installing over a carpted area the with a wood subfloor.

We have no special detailing in mind for laying the floor.

I would want it in the area to be installed for 1 to 2 weeks before install as Dennis said it has been in a storage locker for so long. But of course it has to do with the moisture content. If you are hireing a floring contractor then he should check the boards to make sure they are within specs before installing. If you are just hireing a basic contractor and he just installs without checking you could be in for a world of hurt and dissappointment.

Over a carpeted area? A typo, right. You ARE removing the carpet?
Anyway, if conventional structure, just have your contractor check the subfloor for flatness, any irregularities will be visible in the finished product so this is important.
If possible, lay the floor across the joists, unless this would be visually unattractive. If you are going parallel, then additional plywood is usually needed.
If the first line of boards installed is straight, you will have a straight floor, if installed crooked, the floor will be out of whack beyond belief by the time you get across the room(s).
Spend some time with a chalk line and check all walls going the same direction as the floor to ensure you are parallel.
Refasten existing subfloor to eliminate squeaks.
MC is of primary importance. Remember that wood is not inert so future humidity levels must be maintained at a normal amount. In a perfect world, 45%. If floor is acclimated to this level, and is maintained at a constant, the floor will just sit there and look pretty.
I wasn't going to address the floor itself too much, but a great deal of Russian maple was sold by "tree pirates" to substandard mills in China before the various govenments put a stop to it. If you have one of these products, make sure you have sufficient material to do the job before beginning the final room. You may need to switch out to a different product for the final room if not, since it is unlikely you will find more of the same.
Plan ahead.

How is that?

Yes we will be removing the carpet and underlay. Then checking for squeeks and evenness. The box states both sides are moisture resistant.

That means boths sides have finish on them I presume.
Speaking of checking.....better check that finish for checking before you start, yes all of it.

If the flooring has sat in storage, where the air inside the unit is stagnant without any air flow, that flooring has most likely gained moisture from the building humidity inside the storage area/locker. That's bad


You need to bring it home and uncarton it in the rooms it is to be installed in, sticker-stacking to get air flow around each individual board.

A pin type moisture meter is needed to verify about 10 boards or one out of each carton.
Depending on your region, you want the wood to be at the same regional moisture content, The higher side of that scale the better. As it is better for the floor to barely cup if any during the summers and gap during the winter.Because if you install it with a low moisture content in the winter, it is going to cup for sure come summer, if not buckle off the floor.

The finish being on the top and bottom of the boards, is going to make acclimation take a lot longer. I'm talking months. Seriously! Especially if it picked up a lot of moisture.

If your installer doesn't have a pin-type moisture meter, or a hygrometer to measure the interiors ambient air conditions, throw him out!