I've purchased some Mirage engineered 3/8" x 3 5/16" red oak and I'm going to be installing (stapling) over plywood subfloor, and have a couple of questions

1) the install instructions say to leave the flooring in the sealed boxes until its installed because "the flooring does not need to acclimate to the rooms humidity level".

This statement confuses me since all other stuff I have ever read said that it is vital that the flooring have near the same MC level as the rooms subfloor. So, why are they recommending it be left in shrink wrapped boxes? I even sent Mirage a email about this and got the same reply back: "leave it in the boxes". So, do they say this because its a thin engineered floor? If I install now (in July in CT) will I get a lot of contraction in the winter which would result in visible gaps between the boards? Will I increase my chances of squeaks and creaks by installing in the heat of the summer (subfloor is flat after many long days of prep)? I don't have central A/C, however do sometimes run room A/C's and run a whole house humidifier in the winter. Should I wait till the fall to install? (I would really rather not to as I'm itching to get this project completed) Who much will this size/species of flooring expand/contract?

2) all that I read said not to staple less then 2 inches from the board ends. Just curious. Why is that?

Thanks for any advice!

According to Mirage's website, it does say that the engineered floor does not need to be acclimated. Bruce's website also says the same thing along with "it is best to store it in the environment in which it is expected to perform prior to installation"
Engineered wood is a very stable product because it is cross plyed. Only the top 1/8" so is a solid veneer of the finished wood your using. Comparatively to 3/4" solid hardwood you dont have to be concerned about the shrinkage factor in the winter.

In response to stapling 2" from the ends it is because stapling close to the ends sometimes makes the wood split. In regards to engineered it can make the ply's seperate close to the end and lift up.

I live and work in CT so i am very familiar with the climate. I would keep your home at approx 70-75 degrees for a couple of days and go ahead and install. You shouldnt have a problem.
Since it sounds like you are a DIYer one thing to make sure of is your pressure and angle is set correctly on your floor stapler. Otherwise it can make the engineered wood look like it has little dimples or humps where you nail.

Good luck

With many engineered floors, the floors are "pre-acclimated" in a sense. This means that they are designed and milled to be installed in an environment that has moderate temps and humidity levels. Taking the flooring out of the boxes and exposing it to extreme conditions will make it difficult to impossible to get together. This is because the tongues and grooves may shrink or swell, depending on what the conditions are. Most folks keep their homes in moderate temps and humidity levels, so this typically is not a problem. Being engineered, the flooring can withstand greater swings in temps and humidity levels once it's installed. You do not want to expose it to those PRIOR to installation.

I bet the instructions dictate what the interiors ambient conditions should be within, before installation begins.

I just bought some WFI engineered and they say the same thing. They also say to leave a 3/8" expansion gap, but maybe that's for subfloor movement.

Steve