Acclimating wood flooring

[Dan Friedrichs]

Hello all,

I just purchased about 800sq ft of 5/8" bamboo flooring to replace the carpet in my house. It comes in boxes, and inside the boxes the bamboo itself is sealed in plastic bags. I can't tell if the bags are air-tight, but they are definitely heat sealed on all edges.

Now, on the outside of each box there is a dire warning to allow the material to acclimate for a few days in order for its moisture content to stabilize with the houses' air. My question is: Are these people crazy? Will two days sitting inside a sealed plastic bag stacked on many other boxes of the same result in ANY change in moisture content? What are they thinking?

This is prefinished matieral, and living in Colorado, I'm concerned that it may dry quite a bit, resulting in a widening of the gap between boards if it's not sufficiently dry before I install it. Would it be worth the trouble to take it out of the boxes and sticker for a few weeks?

Thanks-
Dan

[Ken Platt]

It sounds as though my bamboo came from the same factory.

I opened up the cartons and the plastic and left them like that for a week or so. I have no idea if it accomplished anything, but I figure it didn't hurt. I've had no problems with either buckling or gaps opening up, and it's been down a few years.

I guess the best way would be moisture meter - if you can find one that'll give you norms for bamboo. Or, come to think of it, you'll end up with a bunch of cutoffs anyhow, why not take one and do the oven and weights to see what it's moisture content is? Might give you an idea on how likely a problem is.

Stickering a batch of flooring seems pretty painful to me. And after all that work you still wouldn't know where you were in the drying process. Also, my bamboo was prefinished on both sides, which has got to dramatically slow drying, I would think....

Ken

[Larry Edgerton]

Dan, I have never worked with bamboo, so I do not know its characteristics, but on the houses that I build I try to leave flooring in the house for two weeks.

You are correct, wrapped in plastic it would make no difference, or very little. I too would suggest cutting the plastic.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I tend to think it's a little like what they used to say about decking lumber...buy it an leave it stickered in the yard 2-6 weeks [if you know anything about PT lumber, you know this is a huge mistake].

In the case of hardwoods I don't think it would hurt, but I also don't think it matters a bit. The difference between the store where you bought it and the inside of your house can't be drastic since both are climate controlled.

[Maurice Ungaro]

I DOES matter more than a bit. You also need to thing about seasonal changes. That being said, the winter may not be the best time to install wood flooring, as the climate is generally drier, and heating dries the interior are even more.

You do want to climatize the bamboo. Go ahead and open the plastic (cut slits in it, or remove it. Let it sit in the house for more than a few days. The worst case scenario is that you have extremely dry flooring that is put down, and in the summer it swells and buckles.

Is it solid bamboo, or laminate?

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I did this once with hardwood before building cabinets. The next time I was on a strict deadline and skipped the step altogether with no ill effects whatsoever. Haven't done it since and have never had a problem.

I also know a friend who lays hardwood flooring and he doesn't do it with oak, maple, etc. Not sure about bamboo as I have never asked him but since this has come up I will.

From your response I guess you have experience with this...what happens if you don't acclimatize bamboo flooring and just start laying it down right away?

[guy knight]

it all depends on were you live and were it came from but and i say again BUT if you have any problem they will use that or improper nailing as an excuse to deny you warranty and if you do open the box to aclimate it and don't need it then they wont take it back

[Maurice Ungaro]

Dan & Kelly:
You guys live in pretty dry climates, so it's probably not much of an issue. Over here, the humidity in summer will hover around 98%. In the winter, it can be as low as 40%, or as much as 80% - you never know what you're gonna get!

[Bradley Schmidt]

Hi Dan,

You've most likely installed your bamboo floor already, but I'll add my comments for others asking the same question.

The flooring should be placed in the room where it will be installed and removed from all packaging.
The flooring should be stacked so that it gets maximum exposure to the air. For example, it can be stacked in a grid pattern, with the first layer laid out with 5-8 cm of space between each plank, then stack the next layer on top of the first layer perpendicular to the first layer, also 5-8 cm apart. The flooring can be stacked in this way up to 90-120 cm high. The flooring should be stacked top-to-top and bottom-to-bottom to avoid unnecessary wear on the finish. The flooring must remain like this for five days before being laid.

Experience has taught us that this step is essential.

If you plan to install the floor on a concrete substrate, it is imperative that you ensure the moisture content of the slab is below 2%. I highly recommend you paint a moisture vapour barrier on the slab, or install DPC to prevent surface moisture being absorbed from under the flooring. The above advise applies for all wood floors.

Regards

Bradley - Oriental Bamboo
www.oriental-bamboo.co.za

[Brian Peters]

I would let it sit minimum of 48 hours. All woodworkers when buying wood should let it sit and acclimate before working with it. When I buy rough lumber of any species it sits in the rack for 24 hours minimum. I would imagine the truck that flooring was shipped on and the storage facility and then your house are pretty different temperatures.