This family is getting a hardwood floor Installed while they’re on vacation.
At SVB Wood Floors, we think any time is a great time to install hardwood floors. There is no “wrong” time to have a hardwood floor installed. But there are a few things about summertime that make it even more ideal and convenient for homeowners.
Make Your Vacation Time Work Double Duty as Wood Floor Installation Time
Having a hardwood floor installed can be a little disruptive to your everyday life. You have to avoid the room or rooms that are being worked in. There is a bit of noise that comes with the process as well. And even though we use stains and sealants with low VOCs, you will have a certain amount of smell that is unavoidable. The great thing about summertime is that most people plan a vacation at some point where they will be out of their home for a week or so. This is the ideal time to schedule a wood floor installation. SVB’s crews can finish the entire job from installation to staining to sealing and you return to beautiful new hardwood floors!
Related Read: 5 Hardwood Floor Trends for 2015
Does Humidity Matter in the Summer?
Wood is a hygroscopic material. It absorbs and releases moisture repeatedly depending on its environment. Some people think that it’s better to install a wood floor in the hot, humid summer when the wood planks are at their largest and have gaps in the winter than to install it tight during the winter when it’s at its smallest and have it swell or buckle when summer and humidity come back. Truthfully, it doesn’t make a big difference because most homes are heated and cooled in the respective months and many have humidifiers to help keep moisture levels up during the drier winter months. The important thing is to bring the wood inside the home and allow it to acclimate to those conditions. This average amount of moisture is best because you may get minor swelling in the summer and minor gapping in the winter, but neither will be too noticeable.
Reduce Gaps with Narrower Planks
One other precaution you can take if you really don’t like the natural gaps that hardwood floors get in the winter is to use narrower planks. All boards will contract and expand at the same rate, but they expand and contract more from side to side than end to end. Therefore, a 5” wide board will appear to contract and expand more than twice as much as a 2 ¼” board. Go narrower to reduce the size and appearance of the gaps between planks.
Schedule Your Vaca-stallation Today
So there you have it. You can install a hardwood floor year round, but if you’re already planning on being out of your home for several days in a row, save yourself the hassle and coordinate your vacation with your wood floor installation. Could we call it a “vaca-stallation”? Whatever you call it, it makes a lot of sense. Call today to speak to one of the SVB hardwood floor installation experts to coordinate your vacation and your installation. Call 816-965-8655.
