Why Acclimation is the Most Important Step of Your Install
You’ve spent weeks researching the perfect flooring. You’ve visited our Bellevue showroom, talked to Christina or Natalya, and finally, the boxes have arrived at your home in Snoqualmie or Federal Way. You’re excited to see the finished product! But then, your installer says something that sounds like a delay: “We need to let these planks acclimate for 48 to 72 hours.”
At Carpet To Go, we know it’s tempting to rush, but the “48-Hour Rule” is the secret to a floor that lasts a lifetime. Here is why we insist on this step for every customer we treat like family.
What is Acclimation?
Acclimation is the process of allowing the moisture content of the flooring material to reach an equilibrium with the environment of the room where it will be installed. Every piece of wood or laminate is composed of organic fibers that react to temperature and humidity.
Your flooring likely spent time in a large, unheated warehouse or on a delivery truck before arriving at your house. If your home is kept at a cozy 70°F but the warehouse was 45°F, those planks are going to “move” as soon as they hit your living room air.
What Happens if You Skip It?
Skipping acclimation is the #1 cause of flooring “failures.” If we install the floor immediately and the planks then expand by even a fraction of a millimeter each, that expansion adds up across the width of a room.
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Peaking/Buckling: The planks have nowhere to go, so they push against each other and lift off the subfloor.
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Gapping: If the wood shrinks after installation, you’ll end up with gaps between your beautiful new boards that collect dust and dirt.
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Squeaking: When planks aren’t “settled” into their environment, they can rub against each other or the fasteners, leading to a noisy floor.
The Carpet To Go Way
We don’t just drop the boxes and leave. To acclimate floors properly, we follow a specific protocol:
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Cross-Stacking: We stack the boxes in a “log cabin” style to ensure air can circulate around every side of the box.
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Climate Control: We ask that your home’s permanent HVAC system be running for several days before the wood arrives.
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Moisture Testing: Our expert estimators often use moisture meters to compare the subfloor’s humidity to the new flooring’s humidity.
Our goal is “Make Customers for Life,” and that means doing the job right the first time. We would rather wait two days to start your install than have you call us in six months with a buckled floor. With our 5-year warranty and our commitment to the World Floor Covering Association Code of Conduct, you can trust that your home is in the best hands in the Puget Sound.
Ready for a seamless installation? From Lynnwood to Black Diamond and everywhere in between, the Carpet To Go family is ready to help. Contact Us today to start your project with a team that cares!