Page 4 - 2018-07-CFR Volume 118 - The Importance of Wood Flooring Acclimation in a Commercial Setting

can warp or crack during the acclimation process it- July 2018
self. Assuming the baseline moisture content meas-
urement is acceptable, lay out the wood strips in a
crisscross pattern to maximize airflow, which can
minimize acclimation time. The flooring contractor
should regularly take additional measurements to
know how quickly (or not) the acclimation process is
going. Using a pinless wood moisture meter lets con-
tractors take readings quickly while protecting the in-
tegrity of the wood flooring material.
Floor Acclimation as Its Own Kind of Insurance
In many cases, failure to acclimate the wood properly
can void the manufacturer’s warranty. That’s bad. But
frankly, the physical consequences to the floor of not
acclimating the wood are the real problems. If you’re
at the point of worrying about whether the manufac-
turer is going to cover the fix or even entire re-
installation, it’s too late. Protect the wood flooring and
the entire project by taking the time to determine the
EMC, and confirm the wood flooring has reached
EMC before installation.
FOLLOWING IS LGM ADDITION
Not only is wood one of the most popular floorcover-
ing products today it is also the one that can get you
in a lot of trouble if you don’t understand a few things
about it. Relative to its popularity, all you have to do
is watch home fix-up or buyers shows to know that
everyone on these shows wants wood floors. What
you may not know is that there are as many suppli-
ers, it seems, as there are trees. In a conversation I
had with our wood expert, who was recently in China,
he was telling me that in one province there were ap-
proximately 3,500 wood manufacturers and one
“overseer.” If you might be disillusioned with the
product, service or quality you’re getting and you
switch to someone else, you may still be dealing with
the same entity.
The quality issue is one to be acutely aware of.
Granted you have heard me say that wood is a tree
cut into boards used on the floor and that it will still
behave as a tree, expanding and contracting with
gain and loss of moisture, drying out, cracking, in-
denting, scratching and discoloring. Think of wood,
whether softwood or hardwood, as a bundle of straws
with the hollow center of the straw being the vessel
for transporting water and nutrients and the outside of

4 Commercial Flooring Report