The Best Time to Install Hardwood Flooring

In recent years, hardwood floors have become a staple home addition to many homes across the country. Among all the flooring options available, hardwood flooring increases your home’s value while adding sophisticated and timeless elegance to your design. Longevity is one of hardwood floors’ most notable features, but you can only enjoy it if you install them during the right time of the year. Like other wooden floorings, hardwood planks require specific temperatures and humidity levels. Reading this guide will help you discover what time of the year is best for installing hardwood.

Is it Okay to Install Hardwood Floors at Any Time?

Most homeowners often delay installing hardwood flooring in their homes for fear of their reaction to the seasons. Laying hardwood planks in your space is always best during ideal temperature and humidity levels. But that doesn’t mean you can’t install them anytime you wish.

Nowadays, homeowners can have their hardwood floors installed at any time of the year with the help of sophisticated HVAC systems. These appliances allow better control of temperature and humidity levels inside your home.

Humidity is the most impactful factor when you install hardwood floors. Once you control its levels inside your house, installing these wooden floorings won’t become an issue. Households without HVAC systems can still have their planks laid out but will need to consider several other factors. One element you need to think about is how humidity changes over the seasons.

Consider the Temperature

Installing hardwood flooring in areas having consistent seasons and climates can make things easier for remodelers. Professional hardwood services can identify the best time of the year for flooring installation because they have a dependable record of changes in moisture levels within the area.

Solid hardwood floors are a bit more sensitive as pure wood makes up for its material. Besides humidity, they’re more affected by water and moisture exposure. Installing engineered hardwood flooring all year round is more convenient because of its higher water and moisture resistance.

When you plan to install hardwood flooring inside your home, consider the indoor humidity and temperature. Humidity levels should range between 30 and 50 percent, while the ideal temperature is from 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ideal Temperature for Hardwood Flooring Adhesives

Some hardwood flooring installers use adhesives when installing hardwood floors. While not all hardwood floor types need it, using them is convenient and time-efficient. But adhesives need specific indoor conditions to work well. The usual range is between 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. During summer, HVAC systems can put your home out of range, and heaters during winter can prevent them from drying and bonding.

Understand the Effects of the Season

Seasons can affect how your hardwood floors would turn out upon installing them. Each season has a different atmosphere, including temperature and moisture levels. Like any other wood, hardwoods are hygroscopic. It means they’re prone to absorb moisture from the air. Due to this, hardwood planks can react in different ways in certain climates. In addition, your locations can also add to these effects. Some areas deal with extreme summer and winter conditions.

Summer temperatures and high humidity levels expand and swell your hardwood floors. Installing your planks while they’re warped can cause issues once the temperatures drop. Cool air will contract the hardwood planks leading to gaps between your floorboards.

Winter has cold and dry temperatures, and installing hardwood flooring while they’re at its driest can cause potential cracks and further damage your floors. This can worsen if your hardwood strips aren’t properly acclimated.

Spring and fall are the seasons that provide in-between weather and temperature conditions. They offer consistent and stable settings and rarely have days with extreme climates. The only difference is that rainstorms often occur during springtime, and their frequency within the area can make moisture levels higher.

The ideal season for installing hardwood floors is during fall. The cool and crisp weather exposes your hardwood flooring to less moisture, which prevents the planks from warping or cracking.

Occasion

While floor renovations aren’t as much of a spectacle as adding another room or remodeling a kitchen, they’re still a massive home improvement project. They’re subtle but impactful changes, and planning when to start and finish them is essential. Consider the size of the room you’ll be installing the hardwood floors, your budget, and the deadline for installing it.

Keep them at a distance from periods with major events or holidays. Doing this will allow you time to prepare your subfloors and underlayment, acclimate your planks, and set the area in place.

Understanding Hardwood Flooring Installation in Austin, TX

Although hardwood floors are subtle changes or additions to homes, they have a huge impact on the interior of your place. Like any home improvement project, knowing what time of the year is best to install them is critical. Despite the perks you can get from hardwood flooring, the planks are more sensitive to temperature and moisture level changes around them. To ensure you get your money’s worth, homeowners need to know how seasons and occasions impact proper flooring installation.

Find out more about them with the help of the best hardwood flooring installation service in Austin today. Call Kelly Hardwood Floors now!