Hardwood floors can be surprisingly nuanced pieces in your home. Unlike tile or carpet, hardwood responds to the seasons and to atmospheric conditions in ways you might not expect. For that reason, there are times of year and weather conditions that are more ideal to installing or replacing hardwood floors in your home.
Choosing the right time of year to install wood floors can save you hassle and headaches.
There is an ideal best season to install hardwood floors but that doesn’t mean that there are no other times of year when it would be perfectly fine to do so. It’s simply a matter of making the job as easy as possible on you and the team doing the installation. Humidity, temperature, and atmospheric pressure all play a part in how well a hardwood floor installation will go.
Below is some guidance on the best seasons and conditions to install a hardwood floor.
Winter
Winter probably seems like the optimal time to install a hardwood floor. It’s an indoor project and you’re stuck staring at your flooring every day hoping for a change. Plus, who doesn’t like the idea of ringing in the new year with a new floor? With all this in mind, it may surprise you that winter is not the best time to install a hardwood floor.
This is in large part because of how dry the air is in winter, no matter your location, which can cause measurements on the wood to be off when the heat and humidity come and cause the wood to expand. Planks can also distort the same way your skin dries and cracks.
Spring
Spring is far more temperate in climate than winter, with more forgiving temperatures and a natural transition period to make you feel like it’s about time for a change in the home. However, spring can also be a volatile time for weather and atmospheric conditions.
The humidity levels will be volatile—high one day and gone the next—as rain showers move through the area. This can make measurements on wood inaccurate and the newly installed planks could swell too much and be damaged. As you imagine, this humidity problem carries over to summer as well.
Fall
As you probably guessed by now, this is the ideal time to install a hardwood floor. Fall lacks volatility in weather, it’s drier but not painfully dry like winter. The humidity levels are general neutral which means the wood has plenty of time to set before its first big humid season. It’s also the best time for hardwood adhesives to do their job and dry properly.
Related Questions
What hardwood flooring material options do I have?
You can go with strips, planks, or parquet for different geometric patterns and install designs on your hardwood floor. You’ll want to pick between solid wood or engineered wood, but both generally have the same flooring options.
What installation method should I use?
Nail own or staple down installation is ideal for solid wood and is a sturdy install. Engineered wood generally needs to be glued down with adhesives. Contracting a professional hardwood flooring installer is highly recommended.
Installing hardwood floors in your home or business is a big investment, to say the least. You want to make sure the job is done right. Talk to your local flooring specialist about your needs for your hardwood floor so you can enjoy the process without stress and worry.
Cameron the Sandman is a family owned and operated business that has been beautifying homes and businesses with hardwood floors throughout Michigan for over 80 years. Our hard work, dedication and commitment to customer satisfaction has made one of the best flooring companies around. We do it all from wood floor sales, to installation, hardwood floor restoration and repair. Questions? Contact one of our flooring consultants today!