Is winter a bad time to install hardwood floor?

[iexpl]

Hi, all,

I wonder if winter (Nov, Dec) is a good month to install hardwood floor.

My concern is that the winter will be dry, and the wood will be shrunken because of dryness. So, if I nailed all the floors together during the winter, maybe I did not leave enough room for the floor to expand in the summer. As a result, the floor will be cupping.

Does my reasonning correct?

Thanks for any info.

-iexpl

[m Ransley]

You want the floor and interior moisture content the same, you need a moisture meter to test it or allow proper time for it to adjust. Houses are built year around.

[John Hines]

Not if you control the humidity in the house. If you let the humidity go to an extreme, at either end, then you could have problems.

And let the material adjust to room temp before installing it. Don't keep it in a frozen garage, and then bring it in, and install it when it is cold.

[SQLit]

all of the stage floors I have seen installed are done by placing the wood in the conditioned area for at least 2 weeks sometimes as long as a month. Then installing the floor. I would think that if you put the wood into your conditioned area for a time to "normalize" you will be ok no matter what time of year.

[Chip C]

Yes. It might not only cup, it could crack.

Experienced installers know to install the boards a little loosely in dry weather, and very tightly in humid weather.

Now, knowing *how loose* and *how tight* ... well, that's why they get the big bucks.

Chip C

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Around here people think house built in dead winter is better. Tony (Calgary Alberta)