Why Does Winter Weather Matter to Hardwood?

It’s winter, and you have decided to pull the trigger on that new hardwood floor…do you need to wait until Spring? While moisture is widely regarded as the biggest cause of wood flooring problems, not having enough humidity in the air can also be a HUGE issue, and in the winter, with the furnace cranked up, your house can be bone dry. So it is important to take both extremes into consideration when installing a wood floor…too humid, or not humid enough..don’t fret though, when Hoosier Hardwood Floors does your install, we do all of this for you. 

Here in Indiana (where we’re pretty used to humid summers, and falls) it’s vital that your hardwood floors are installed correctly to take into account the humid months ahead. If your floor boards have shrunk due to lack of moisture in a winter install, summer is going to be VERY long, and NOT because of the heat! 

Moisture content in hardwood floors

Working with wood flooring materials isn’t an easy job. When high-quality wood is installed well, it can be one of the most beautiful and long-lasting flooring materials on the market. That is why it is important to have your homes humidity in the 30-50% range & temperature in the 65-75 degrees before during & after a hardwood floor install. Hardwood floors should have a moisture content between 6-10% when it is installed. Wood floors like to be at the same humidity & temperatures that we do.

Flooring that is less then 6% when installed will LOVE sucking in the moisture come summer…and those beautiful hardwood floors will swell…and then shrink back down in the winter leaving you with gaps…this is NOT fun.

Why a winter install might be the BEST time for you! 

So even the bleakest stories can have a silver lining, right? Because water, even in small amounts, can drastically affect your wood floors, wood floors are actually best installed in dry conditions. Also, because winter can mean a “tricky install”, it is a slow time for many companies meaning that you might be able to get a VERY fast turnaround on your job.

Here are a few things that your Hoosier Hardwood Floors installer will do (and ANY OTHER installer SHOULD do):

1. Acclimating the boards is VITAL. The boards need to adjust to YOUR homes’ temp & humidity levels before they are installed as often they been stored in a much different climate.

2. If you home is equipped with a humidifier, they will ask that it is in working condition & that it be set to the proper level in the wintertime.