Because
oak flooring changes dimensionally as its moisture content changes, the best
way to avoid challenges after installation is to make sure that your oak
flooring is proven suitable for the site conditions by way of moisture and
humidity checks.
The
dimensions of each oak flooring plank will change as the surrounding relative
humidity changes, so your new oak flooring must be stored and acclimatised to
meet equilibrium with its surroundings before installation, enabling it to ‘do its
moving’ before and not afterwards (for obvious reasons).
Every
oak plank within the finished floor will continue to move dimensionally after
installation is complete if the Relative Humidity is allowed to change too much
and for too long.
Acclimatisation
is a necessary process on all site installations of oak floors but the time it
will take will vary depending on the conditions of that site. It could take a
few days or it could take more than a few weeks.
The
best start to any acclimatisation is to dry the property (especially a new
build development) to a level that will be consistent when the property is
lived in.
Imagine
what can happen if your beautiful oak flooring is installed while the rooms are
still wet from trades such as plastering, and they then continue to dry out
after the oak flooring is fitted?
It
doesn’t matter how long you acclimatise your oak flooring for within
inconsistent conditions because those conditions are creating a false
environment for the flooring to ‘live’ in thereafter.
The
way that you store your newly delivered oak flooring is also vitally important.
Firstly,
it should be stored within the room it’s to be installed (as long as that room
is dried sufficiently and correctly) and every carton of oak flooring needs to
be opened and stacked flat in a way that allows the air to circulate around
every one. Never acclimatise oak flooring by leaning it up against a wall
because the stress tension will ‘buckle’ or ‘warp’ the oak floor boards within.
Make
sure that the cartons containing your oak flooring are ‘sticked’ and every one
is level and flat. The word ‘sticked’ means that a space is created between
every carton of oak flooring by simply placing a small ‘stick’ or batten in
between them as they’re stacked for storage. Make sure every ‘stick’ is exactly
the same size to avoid distortion of the carton over its length.
Because
oak dries and shrinks at its outside edges first, these outer edges are under
tension while the inner section of the board is under compression, so keeping every
oak floor board flat and level during this acclimatisation process is crucial
to ensure the oak boards remain flat and level themselves.
You
can read more information on acclimatisation and storage by clicking HERE
