jstp wrote:
wrote in message
...

On 7 Apr 2005 21:09:51 -0700, "RicodJour"
wrote:


As far as laying floors in super dry conditions. That's a problem,
too. A floor that is laid very tight in very dry conditions may not
buckle per se, but the wood fibers at the outside edges of each board
will be compressed/crushed as the humidity increases. Then when the
floor shrinks back down again in lower humidity the gaps will be
bigger.

There's no such thing as perfect humidity or temperature control
outside of some lab or a museum. Household HVAC helps, but it is not a
total solution.

Thanks for all your replies. So would you say installing hardwood
floor now in a medium himidity level day and run a humidifier in the
winter is the preferred way to go? Thanks.


Yes, as long as you let the wood acclimatate in your house before
installation. Length of acclimatation depends on humidity difference between
wood and environment. I let mine stand inside for one week. There has been
some yearly shrinking every winter but it's acceptable (less than 1/16 inch
between some planks, none in most places).




Do you control indoor humidity? We have oak floor (2 1/4" planks) that
was installed mid-sumer (July or August 2000), and there are lots of
cracks of 1/16" to 1/8" in late winter/early spring (even now). We don't
control humidity so winter indoor humidity runs around 30%.

Those cracks will dissapear toward summer.