Yes, flooring needs to be acclimated in most cases. Wood and laminate should sit in the room where they will be installed until their moisture content settles, and vinyl plank usually needs a day or two at room temperature. Follow your manufacturer's instructions for the exact time. In Ontario, dry heated winters and humid summers make this step matter more, so bring the house to normal living conditions first.
Does flooring need to be acclimated? Why it matters
Wood and the fibre cores in many laminates take on moisture from the air and release it again. If boards go down at a moisture level that is far from what your home normally holds, they keep adjusting after installation. Boards that were too dry swell and can push up at the joints or cup. Boards that were too wet shrink and leave gaps.
Acclimating means letting the flooring reach the temperature and humidity it will live in before it is fixed in place. The subfloor needs to be in that same state too.
Not every floor cares about moisture in the same way:
- Wood and engineered wood react strongly to humidity.
- Laminate has a wood-fibre core and reacts to moisture and temperature.
- Vinyl plank hardly reacts to humidity, but it grows and shrinks with temperature.
- Tile needs no acclimating.
Most manufacturers write their acclimation steps into the installation instructions, and some warranty claims depend on following them. Keep the instructions and your record of what you did.
How long does flooring need to acclimate?
These are commonly cited ranges. The manufacturer's instructions for your product always come first.
| Flooring | Commonly asked-for time | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Solid hardwood | About 3 days to 2 weeks, sometimes longer | Go by moisture readings, not the calendar. Wide plank and thick boards take longer |
| Engineered hardwood | Often 2 to 3 days | Some makers ask for less, some for more |
| Laminate | Commonly 48 hours | Laid flat, with the boxes open or sealed as the carton says |
| Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) and rigid-core vinyl | Often 24 to 48 hours, and some makers say none | Temperature matters more than moisture |
The time depends on how different the flooring's starting conditions are from the room. Boxes that sat in a humid warehouse, an unheated garage or a cold truck will need longer than boxes that were already inside.
How long hardwood floors acclimate, and how to tell it is ready
Days are a guess. A moisture meter gives you the answer. Your installer should read several boards from several boxes, then read the subfloor in the same room, and compare.
A commonly cited rule for solid hardwood over a wood subfloor is that the two readings should differ by no more than about 4 percentage points for narrow strip and about 2 for wide plank. Your manufacturer's number is the one to use. The flooring is ready when the readings sit in that range and stop changing from one day to the next.
Hardwood over a concrete slab needs more than a flooring reading. The slab has to be tested and often needs a moisture barrier. The flooring moisture testing guide explains how, and the subfloor preparation guide covers what the surface under the floor must be.
Write down the dates and readings. If a gap or cupping appears later, that record is the first thing anyone will ask for.
How Ontario winters and summers change the answer
Acclimation only works if the house is at normal living conditions. Before the boxes arrive:
- The heating or cooling should be running and the windows and doors in place.
- Wet trades should be finished and dry. That includes drywall compound, paint, tile and any new concrete. Flooring goes in last in a renovation.
- Humidity should be where you normally keep it for the season. Natural Resources Canada puts home humidity at 30 to 50 per cent, lower in winter. Do not crank a humidifier past normal to speed things up.
- The room should be at normal living temperature, which most makers describe as roughly 15 to 29 degrees C (about 60 to 85 degrees F). The carton gives the range for your product.
In winter, boxes that come in from a cold truck need time to warm up before anyone opens them, and boards installed in the driest weeks will swell in July. That is why installers leave an expansion gap at the walls. In summer, humid basements and condo storage rooms can add moisture to boxes, so run air conditioning or a dehumidifier and avoid long waits before installation. For a deeper look at the cold season, see the flooring in Ontario winters guide.
Where to store flooring boxes in a basement or condo
Store the boxes in the room where they will be installed, or in a room that matches it for temperature and humidity.
- Keep them inside the conditioned space. A garage, a damp corner of an unfinished basement or a bathroom is the wrong place.
- Get them off the floor. Rest them on spacers or lumber, especially on a concrete slab, which can hold moisture.
- Stack flat. Do not stand boxes on their edges or lean them on an exterior wall.
- Stay away from heat, sun and vents. A heat register or direct sun through a patio door dries or warms one side faster than the other.
- Follow the carton. Hardwood is often unpacked and cross-stacked so air can move. Laminate and vinyl often stay sealed and flat.
In a basement, finish the drywall and paint first and let them dry. In a condo, check the building's rules for deliveries and elevator booking, and for any flooring or underlay requirements, before you order. Use the wait to inspect the boxes for damage and mixed shades, and flag anything that looks wrong before it is installed. The basement flooring options guide helps with choosing a product that suits below-grade rooms.
Does vinyl plank flooring expand and contract?
Yes, with temperature. Vinyl planks grow when warm and shrink slightly when cold. A plank laid cold and then warmed can expand and press against its neighbours. A plank fitted warm and then chilled can open small gaps at the joints. That is why LVP is stored at room temperature before installation and why sun-heated floors by patio doors need attention. Rigid-core planks move less than softer ones, but they still need room to move.
Leave the perimeter expansion gap the instructions call for, which is often in the range of 5 to 12 mm (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch) for floating floors, and hide it under baseboard or quarter round. Do not pin a floating floor under a heavy island or a tight transition. The LVP guide for Ontario goes through the options.
What goes wrong if you skip it, and who should handle it
Skipping acclimation shows up as gaps between boards, cupping, ridges where boards meet, popping floating planks, and creaking. These problems are hard to fix without lifting part of the floor, and the manufacturer may refuse a claim when the instructions were not followed.
If a contractor is installing, ask who is responsible for acclimating, when the boxes will arrive, where they will be stored, whether moisture readings will be recorded, and what the subfloor check includes. D&D Interior Services installs hardwood, vinyl plank and other flooring in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge and Guelph, and the free written quote spells out the flooring scope separately from plumbing or structural work. See the flooring installation page to start.
Flooring acclimation questions homeowners ask
Does vinyl plank flooring need to acclimate?
Usually for a short time. Many makers ask for 24 to 48 hours at room temperature, and some rigid-core products say none. Vinyl responds to temperature, not humidity, so the goal is to have the planks and room at the same normal temperature. The carton instructions decide, so read them before ordering.
Why does flooring need to acclimate?
So its moisture content and temperature match the room before it is fixed down. Wood and laminate cores swell or shrink with humidity, and vinyl grows or shrinks with temperature. Installing first and adjusting later can cause gaps, cupping, peaking at joints and noisy floors.
How long should hardwood floors acclimate?
Commonly about 3 days to 2 weeks, and longer for wide or thick boards or when the boxes started in very different conditions. The calendar is a guide only. A moisture meter comparing the boards with the subfloor tells you when the flooring is ready, and the manufacturer sets the target.
Can flooring acclimate in the garage?
No. A garage is not a conditioned space, and it can be cold, damp or hot depending on the season. Flooring should acclimate in the room where it will be installed, or in a room kept at the same temperature and humidity, off the concrete and away from vents and direct sun.
Ready to Transform Your Interior?
D&D Interior Services serves Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph and surrounding areas.
Get a Free Interior QuoteKey Takeaways
- Wood, engineered wood and laminate need to acclimate. Vinyl plank usually needs a day or two at room temperature.
- Time depends on the product and the conditions, so go by the manufacturer's instructions and moisture readings, not just days.
- Get the house to normal living conditions first, with the heat or air conditioning running and wet trades dry.
- Store boxes flat, off concrete, inside the conditioned room and away from vents and sun.
- Vinyl plank moves with temperature, so it still needs an expansion gap at the walls.
Sources & References
Plan your renovation
Select the room or finish you want to change and describe how you use the space.
Prefer to send the details first? Request a quote or call (519) 501-5003.