Are you thinking about getting new hardwood flooring? If so, you are probably wondering when is the best time to install it. Many people would say spring or even fall, but summer is actually the perfect time for a flooring installation in Atlanta, GA.
In this blog post, the team at Authentic Hardwood Flooring explains the benefits of summer flooring installation in Atlanta, GA.
Schedule Flooring Installation Over a Summer Vacation Trip
Installing a new floor can take several days and you need to vacate the areas you are replacing to give your contractor’s room to work. Depending on whether you’re re-flooring one room or the whole house, this can greatly affect home accessibility and utility. For instance, if you are replacing your kitchen floors, you won’t be able to use your kitchen for at least a few days.
Opting for hardwood floor installation on the same schedule as your summer vacation is a great idea. You can leave your home, enjoy your time off, and return to fully finished hardwood floors. That way, you won’t have to worry about scheduling your day around having workers in your house.
Georgia’s Summer Humidity and Flooring
If you install your floors in the summer, you should be aware of the increased humidity. Hardwood floors are hygroscopic, which means they absorb water when relative humidity levels are high. When wood floors absorb moisture during Georgia’s muggy summers, the wood planks can swell.
Installing flooring during the summer, when they are their largest, will prevent them from swelling even more, which could cause buckling and bowing.
Your floorboards can also shrink during the winter. The dry air causes the wood to release moisture, so it slightly shrinks, which can expose the cracks and seams between the individual floorboards.
As such, we recommend having a dehumidifier on hand when installing new wood floors in the summer. The dehumidifier keeps moisture levels low so the wood won’t expand and the flooring adhesive can dry and set properly.
Tips for Installing Wood Floors in the Summer
Below are some additional tips for homeowners that get summer flooring installation in Atlanta, GA.
- After installing the floor, keep it out of direct sunlight and UV rays. Light and heat can prevent the adhesive from setting properly, and it can also make the wood’s natural luster fade. This kind of fading and sun damage is the most obvious with darker wooden flooring.
- Your contractor should let the wood acclimate to the environment. Acclimating involves letting the planks absorb moisture before installing them so they won’t swell and expand any further once set in the ground.
- We recommend getting a moisture detector so you can keep tabs on humidity levels in the room. Wood floors perform best when relative humidity levels are between 30% and 50%. Any lower and the planks can shrink; any higher and the planks can expand and buckle.
- If you want to minimize boards changing shape in the summer and winter, use narrower planks. Boards are more likely to contract side-to-side than front-to-back, so choosing narrower floorboards minimizes the amount they change when the weather shifts.
Get a Flooring Installation in Atlanta, GA with Real Wood Floors This Summer
With over 23 years of experience, Authentic Hardwood Flooring is the best provider of hardwood flooring services in Atlanta and surrounding areas. Our top-quality contractors use the best materials to provide high-quality wooden floors that will stand the test of time.
Are you interested in flooring installation in Atlanta, GA? If so, contact the experts at Authentic Hardwood Flooring online today or reach out to us at (678) 985-0110 to schedule a free in-home consultation!
