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Caring for Your Engineered Hardwood Floor: Acclimation and the Installation Process

nwfa,certified,professional,wood flooring,chicagoAs a member of the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), we at PurezaWood carefully follow news from the hardwood industry. This includes staying up to date with all the best practices for installation of hardwood flooring and ensuring that our customers have been provided with the same information.

The installation process has many complicated steps; we highly recommend choosing a NWFA-certified professional engineered hardwood installer. But we also want you, as our customer, to know what you’re getting into. Today we’re talking about the acclimation process. Caring for your flooring (from the ground, up!) allows it a much longer life.

So while we do provide installation guidelines to all of our customers, we also understand that questions arise before, during, and after your hardwood has landed! Hardwood is a big investment and deserves plenty of care. Proper maintenance starts even before you’ve unboxed your new wide plank engineered European White Oak hardwood flooring.

Moisture management throughout the installation process

As a natural product, wood naturally responds to its environment. Although our manufacturing process is very precise — and every product we offer, from our custom-color 7.5″ French White Oak to our unfinished engineered hardwood, doesn’t leave the factory without rigorous quality checks — we are still manufacturing a natural product. Wood gains and loses moisture depending on the conditions; wood wants to “match” its environment.

A good example that many of us are familiar with: Wooden doors, doorframes, and kitchen cupboards, start to “stick” come summer. That’s because the air is more humid. The wood absorbs the moisture in the air and swells accordingly. The opposite occurs in the winter months, as floors tend to shrink due to excessive dryness (the heat is running most of time).

While we can’t eliminate these factors entirely, you can minimize their effects. A quality air conditioning system will help preserve your hardwood in the summertime. Opening your windows and doors will not. Furthermore, in-home moisture measurement tools will also help you make sure that you are maintaining the proper levels for healthy floors. Ask us or your installer for recommendations before introducing the hardwood to your home.

7.5” wide ?? French Oak

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Acclimation is an ongoing part of your hardwood flooring maintenance

Do? Clean up right after a spill. Don’t? Place your furniture without rugs our protective pads. These practices may seem obvious, but they are not even the biggest maintenance concerns! Think about it this way: What’s a small scratch here or there in comparison to a whole floor of swollen, cracked, or gapping hardwood?

Just as you wouldn’t dare use a wet mop or a steam mop on that floor — don’t turn your home into a steamy sauna, and don’t let the wet weather come inside with you. This is a luxury product you have here! Follow all maintenance instructions provided to you by PurezaWood, your installer, and the NWFA.

So, keep an eye on your humidity levels, the temperature indoors, and stick to your routine cleaning habits. From Day No. 1, your hardwood flooring should feel right at home.

Learn more with PurezaWood on social media.

Join us on Facebook and Instagram, where we share our advice and photos from our factory, installations, and our favorite photos from our customers. Contact us if you’re ready to get started.

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