Installing Hardwood Floors in Winter

Many clients these days come to the store to choose a solid hardwood or engineered hardwood flooring product and tell us that they would like the product for spring or summer when the weather is warmer to install the floors. There seems to be a misperception that installing the hardwood floors in the winter months will lead to issues later on, such as gaping between the boards, or squeaks on the floor.

The truth is, there are no issues around installing hardwood floors during the winter months, as long as the site conditions are prepared for the installation of hardwood floors. In fact, most builders do install hardwood floors during the winter months. They create the frame of the house in the warmer months and then move inside during the colder months, when it would be much more difficult to work outdoors. 

What is of utmost importance when installing hardwood floors, regardless of the season, is the relative moisture in the environment, the moisture level of the plywood subfloor, the core humidity level of the hardwood flooring itself, and the temperature of the space prior to, during, and after installation. 

Good quality hardwood floors will have a core humidity levels of between 7-9%. This is the ideal moisture level for flooring products to be installed in. The recommendation by most manufacturers is also to have a subfloor humidity level of ∓2% relative to the hardwood moisture levels, which means the plywood should be between 5-11% humidity. In some ways, this is easier to achieve in the winter months, when the humidity in the air is far less than the summer months. 

In the summer months in Canada, humidity in the air can reach 60% or higher. Exposed plywood and uninstalled hardwood floors can absorb this extra moisture, resulting in a temporary puffing up of the wood. When this moisture is removed in the winter due to lower relative humidity of the environment, issues such as gapping and squeaking may present, which will not be easy to remedy. 

In both summer and winter, it is important to ensure that the subfloors have not absorbed extra moisture, which can also happen due to wet processes in the construction process, such as mudding and taping of the drywalls, painting, and tile installation. Before you install hardwood floors, make sure that the air conditioning unit is operational and that both the temperature and the humidity levels are being controlled. It is important to keep the fan on if there were any of the wet processes taking place on site 48 hours before you bring the hardwood floors into installation space.  

Hardwood floors are to be installed at 20 degrees centigrade and at humidity levels between 30% and 60%. It is not recommended to either install, or acclimatize hardwood to be installed, in temperature and humidity levels much higher or lower than these thresholds. As long as the site conditions are optimized, the season we find ourselves in should have minimal impact on the installation itself. 

So whether you fall in love with new floors in the winter or summer months, you don’t have to wait long to get them installed. You just have to make sure you are choosing professional installers who know the importance of checking site conditions before they lay down a single plank of hardwood. 

For more tips on proper installation of your floors, feel free to contact us or drop in to the showroom to explore your options. We look forward to serving you very soon.