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Showerthought: I finally understood why my dad insisted on a 48-hour acclimation period for hardwood
Had a job in Tacoma last week where the homeowner rushed us, and now there's a 3/8 inch gap along the entire south wall. What's the fastest acclimation you've gotten away with on a real wood install?
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simon_coleman1mo ago
Watched a guy in Portland try to "speed run" acclimation once by leaving the boxes in his heated garage for like six hours. I mean, it looked fine for a week, then his floor turned into a giant wooden jigsaw puzzle with gaps you could lose a cat in. Some lessons you just have to learn the hard way, I guess.
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miles_sanchez1mo ago
My buddy in Seattle rushed his new bamboo flooring by opening the boxes in his living room for a day. Two months later, every single plank had cupped so bad it felt like walking over a washboard. He had to rip it all out and start over.
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park.abby1mo ago
Drove down to Eugene for a job and the homeowner insisted we start right away because they had family coming in town. I got away with a 24 hour acclimation on red oak by keeping the stacks broken apart and running a dehumidifier in the room. It wasn't perfect but the gaps stayed under an eighth inch for the two years I checked on it. I mean, I definitely don't recommend pushing it that close, especially if the wood's been stored in a different climate. That 3/8 inch gap you've got is rough though, at least with real wood you can sometimes fill it with color-matched putty or a thin strip. Idk, maybe try that before pulling it all up.
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