Unquestionably Confused wrote:
On 12/20/2012 1:46 AM, Dave Dodson wrote:
it's simply cheaper in the long run to do so) AND:

!!!especially if you want to maintain the manufacturer's warranty!!!

G
Ah...Someone who raised my point of consideration...Regardless of
what other experts say, what do the manufacturers of the flooring
specify? Why do they say "acclimate" or "not acclimate"? They may be
basing their position on faulty data but if you do not follow their
recommendation, will warranty on the flooring be invalid due to
improper installation? Just my $0.02 worth(less)...DaveD

Exactly! Other than a couple days' time, what do you lose by
acclimating the flooring (which was, after all, John's initial
concern)?
I know that you will find manufacturer's suggesting or requiring
acclimation of their product, but I seriously doubt that you'll ever
see one that says "Do Not Acclimate" What would be the purpose? To
be fair, unless you're moving a super dry product into a more humid
environment AND disregarding the requirement to leave spacing around
the perimeter for product movement, you're probably going to be okay
also. Much ado about not so much.

I agree - or... at least that makes sense to me. Having read the US Foresty
excerpts posted here, and various opinions on acclimating I found myself
wondering how those two ideas came together. The Forestry excerpt stated
that even sealed wood will absorb moisture from the air, and release it to
the air, but it will do so at a much slower rate than unsealed wood. Next
to that is the opinion that it may well be safest, or best to allow
prefinished wood to acclimate a couple of days or weeks, just as one would
with unfinished. So my question became... why? If the finish affects the
rate of absorbtion as stated by the Forestry excerpt, then how would
acclimating prefinished wood in a manner similar to unfinished wood, be of
any value? Wouldn't it take *much* longer to acclimate the prefinished
product? So - why bother?

And as you say - if the wood has been sitting around in an area of like
humidity as your home, is there really even any acclimation taking place?

Not that I know the answers to these questions, or even have an opinion on
them. I don't lay hardwood floors so I have no real experience to draw from
to form a reliable opinion.

--

-Mike-