exotic hardwood floors

I've heard a rumor that if you install exotic hardwood floors, you need to keep the humidity higher in the house, or the wood might crack. (I live in Canada, where we have very dry winters).

I've been woodworking for years, and haven't heard about this -- is this rumor true, or is it just a salesperson trying to disuade me from what I really want (which is Jatoba BTW, but I'm interested in knowing if this occurs in other types of wood too). Could this be a product of how the wood is dried after harvest?

John

Reply to
John
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It's BS as long as the material has been properly dried it doesn't matter where it came from.

You'll want to follow the manufacturer's recommended acclimation procedure at installation of course, but they're all essentially the same for any solid wood flooring.

I'd look at the manufacturer's web site for any specific information on the particular product if the sales people don't have it readily available (and I'd be sorely tempted to find another outlet channel to deal with).

--

Reply to
dpb

If the flooring isn't dried well when manufactured anything might happen, cracks, twisting, cupping. Most flooring from reputable dealers is made better than this.

I am not familiar with Jatoba, but the width of the flooring will play a big role in the developement of cracks, if it is 4" and narrower it shouldn't be a problem.

A bigger concern would be laying a very dry floor during a very dry time of year, when the humidity does return you run the risk of floor buckling. It would be better to lay the new floor during the most humid time of year, the joints may open a little when dry weather returns.

basilisk

Reply to
basilisk

The rumour is false. Jatoba (aka "brazilian cherry") changes dimension with humidity less than oak, maple, hickory, or birch. Merbau on the other hand moves about half as much as jatoba.

Pretty much any wood floor will be happier if you boost the humidity in the winter. I'm in Saskatchewan and we can easily get down below 20% humidity unless the humidifier is running. This will give noticeable gaps between the boards.

As basilisk said, you're better off installing during late summer when the humidity is higher so that the wood will generally shrink later. If you install very dry flooring in winter, you need to plan for some expansion come summertime.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Friesen

I have heard of horror stories with cheap hardwood flooring (and furniture) made in China using improperly dried wood in non-climate controlled factories.

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