Do you hesitate to install solid hardwood in the driest months?

Think about it. Thinking too much?

1500 square feet of 3/4" hardwood sitting in the heated house in the boxes for 3 weeks . . . in January/February. Driest it will ever be.

Smallest it will ever be. Due to shrinking, it is at the narrowest and shortest dimensions of its full range of shrinking and expanding.

Do I dare smack the boards tightly together, side by side and end to end, with no gaps . . . knowing that in the winter the boards really want a bit of gap so they have room to grow in the summer?

When summer comes, will they buckle, because they are already tight and have no place to grow?

Should they be installed in the driest month at all?

Should we install them using thin shims?

Or don't pop them together so hard in the winter?

Or just don't worry about it, everything will be alright? What is the experience of installations in February?

Thank you,
James

I'd be running a humidifier if the rh is to low. Whats the rh been and did you meter the wood?

As the other poster said get a humidifier running and keep checking the moisture content of you new flooring. Ideally you want it's moisture content at the midrange for your area.... that way it won't shrink too much in the dry months or swell too much in the warmer more humid months. Also, once you install the flooring you should keep the house within the humidity range recommended by your flooring manufacturer.....this could involve running humidifiers, dehumidifiers, or a/c to do this. Be patient while the uninstalled flooring acclimates to the proper moisture content. Can't wait....go the spacers route. Also, get the flooring out of the boxes and spread it out so it will acclimate.

Thank you both for your advice.

I don't have a meter or a humidifier, but I know that it takes more than a small humidifier to bring up the RH in very dry weather. And I believe you are right about spreading out the wood. It is doubtful that boards stacked flat in the boxes will equilibrate effectively in a convenient amount of time.

Do professional installers attend to these details? I have a professional installer who is ready to install, and he's not concerned with such details. But I'm the one taking the risk!

Do you know how the good installers deal with a February install? Do they use spacers? How thick? Do they bring in temporary humidifiers? Do they postpone the job for weeks while checking with the wood meter?

Thanks

Probably going to depend upon the installer. A, B, C, Any or All of the above. You know how it should be done and should probably have the conversation with the installer as to why he is not concerned. As you said you are the one taking the risk and should feel comfortable before taking it. If you don't feel comfortable with him or his answers then find somebody else. Do you have references for him? Have you seen his work?

Roughly speaking, if the rh is 30 to 50% thats equal to 6 to 9 % moisture content. Different wood densities take longer to acclimate.

I am installing during Feb. It is an existing house, not new construction and the wood flooring going down was harvested from the same area it's being installed in. Further, it has been acclimating in the same climate controlled environment where it's being installed in for weeks prior to the install. I don't have a meter but I've checked the dimensions of the planks, 3", 4" and 5" and have not found any variance, or shrinkage at all. My humidity levels were in the mid to high 30's when starting but have dropped lower (mid-high 20's) in the recent extreme cold. During the summer months the space is kept air-conditioned. In my case, there won't be any extremes with regards to high humidity and I am not anticipating any problems with the wood swelling. I'd rather have a tight install. I like to cover all contingencies but sometimes I think that one can over think these things.

every site will differ, crawl space in the south I would be running the r/h up and might even space it. Over a full basement I would run the r/h up but leave out the spacers. Also have to take in to account the width and cut and specie of the planks, 5" plain sawn hickory/maple boards move more readily than 21/4" quartersawn with oak. Most baddly cupped floors I have seen are from install late winter to a dry condition over a vented crawl. It wont happen to late summer but if you have a poorly designed crawl space look out.

It's pretty hard to get RH over 30 percent in the winter in the North inside a home. If you go over 35 percent, you will have an ice farm on your windows and possibly damage them as ice accumulates and expands the gap in the window seal...especially for casements.

NWFA calls for 30-50 percent as an acceptable range. I am waiting right now and hope the forecast for a week from now is correct, that in Chicago area the temps will finally get up into the 30s. We had a couple days where that happened here and my RH inside moved upward. I'm at 30 now. I am waiting for 35 or higher. Once I have that I'm going for it.

Yep, and I have casements. Cold air doesn't hold moisture vapor very well. The colder the air, the dryer it will be. Minnesota Dept. of Public Service recommended levels for healthy indoor humidity is based on an indoor temp of 70 degrees with double glazed windows, as follows:

• If outside temperature is 20 to 40 degrees, humidity indoors should not be more than 40 percent.

• If outside temperature is 10 to 20 degrees, humidity indoors should not be more than 35 percent.

• If outside temperature is 0 to 10 degrees, humidity indoors should not be more than 30 percent.

• If outside temperature is 10-below to 0, humidity indoors should not be more than 25 percent.

• If outside temperature is 20-below to 10-below, humidity indoors should not be more than 20 percent.

• If outdoor temperature is lower than 20-below, inside humidity should not be more than 15 percent.

With what the NWFA calls for as an acceptable range it would appear that you shouldn't install when temps are below 10 degrees, unless you bring the humidity up higher and risk too much moisture condensing on the windows and possibly even within your walls.

As stated, there are many variables, space, climate, species, cut, quality, moisture content, etc. I'm comfortable with my conditions, even installing when the temp and humidity levels are lower than the NWFA recommended "30%" minimum.

When planning for wood floor installation projects RH must be taken into account to avoid flooring problems such as cupping, crowning, buckling, and squeaking. Several well-known forum contributors have chimed in here so I'll be brief.

Taking the time to acclimate the floor is incredibly important. The only way to know if the flooring has acclimated to the environment is to use a wood moisture meter that provides accurate wood MC readings.

If you have the free Wood H2O App, a good thermo-hygrometer, and know the species of the wood you can calculate what the MC should be for the location in which you are installing the floors.

I've linked below a quick article that addresses this topic: http://www.wagnermeters.com/flooring/wo ... tallation/

Wagner Meters can provide you the tools, and the customer service team can walk you through any of the scenarios you may be experiencing.

If you have any further questions we're here: 800-634-9961

"For most homes, somewhere between 30 and 60 percent is the ideal humidity level. This varies through the seasons, though, because the outdoor temperature affects the humidity levels you need indoors to stay healthy and comfortable. Experts from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) define optimal humidity as less than 60 percent in summer and between 25 to 40 percent in the winter. That means balanced humidity for you might mean 50 percent in summer and 30 percent in winter.

For good indoor air quality, consider keeping your indoor humidity below 50 percent at all times. Dust mites and mold spores reproduce best in humidity levels above 55 percent, so lower humidity means fewer microorganisms in your air."

I have asked numerous manufacturers, retailers and installers the same question. None so far have answered the question.

Could we say that ideal conditions for installation are at the midpoint of the indoor annual temperature and relative humidity?

Ideally, the wood's moisture content should be at the midpoint of it's annual average moisture content. Indoor relative humidity will affect the wood's moisture content.

Canadian here - as 4 months of every year are typically "too cold" to install under ideal circumstances, this is one of the major reasons we moved away from solid hardwood and into mostly engineered sales/install. I can (and have) successfully installed engineered hardwood in 20%RH winter heat without issues.

I can say that I wouldn't recommend a temp humidifer - main reason being is that your humidity system should be in place and working prior to install.