The installation document for my 3/4" x 2-1/4" red oak specifies a minimum of 72 hours. I've heard of less working - a family member had theirs for The manufacturer had fairly detailed instructions as to how high to stack them, where to place them (center of room, away from outside walls, and not directly on concrete), temperature of room, relative humidity of room, moisture content of subfloor, and moisture content of hardwood. You might be able to find info in the installation instructions by looking on the manufacturers' website.

I hesitate to ask... can they reschedule without too much headaches?

I just took a hardwood floor installation class last night, and this is what he said: if it's unfinished, you can install right away with no need for an acclimation period, as long as it's not finished for at least a week. So, it's truly not the install, but the finishing part, that is imperative it has time to acclimate to your home. The guy teaching this class has done hardwood installs/refinishing for over 30 years, so I'm guessing he knows his stuff?
HTH

Thanks OHG! That helps a lot. Install is Wednesday Thursday, Friday, and probably Monday. Then the floor will sit until Sept.12, 13 days later, for sanding and the first two stain coats. Sounds like I'll be fine then. And, you and I are both in the same region so that makes me feel even better. Whew!

It's not a time issue. Time is just a guesstimate guideline. You need actual moisture meter readings. The wood should be withing 10% of the moisture level of the subfloor for it to be acceptable to install. If it's AC season, the AC should be on for at least 7-10 days to pull out the excess moisture that the home has soaked up during the time it wasn't climate controlled. The finishing time vs. installation has nothing to do with it. It's all about the relative moisture levels. And if your installer doesn't own and know how to use a moisture meter, find another installer. Even if "he's done it this way for 30 years". It's still flying blind and could bite you in the end. The first question any wood company asks if there is a warranty claim is "what were the moisture readings?"

GreenDesigns echoes what I've read on the subject in preparation for our floor installation. Days are a rough estimate at best for acclimation needs and the finishing has nothing to do with the hardwood acclimating.

My flooring guy is installing my unfinished 5" white oak floors now, and they didn't need any acclimation time. I live in the Houston area with extreme humidity. If I remember correctly, you have high humidity, too. Flooring guy just wants our AC turned on for at least 10 days before he finishes them. I'd guess that you'll be fine without pushing it back.

Green Designs and Wolfgang--Thanks for the tip about moisture readings. I'm not really in AC country, at least this summer, in the Pac NW.

Micki--Wow! Someone else installing white oak at the same time as me. I live in the Pac NW so we usually have some humidity, but not like yours.

UPDATE:
I spoke with the company owner. He said that the moisture content of the unfinished white oak they use usually arrives within 2% of the moisture content of the subfloor. They do take readings before install. He also said that the time the wood sits between install and the sanding/finishing is very important. He quoted me some range of waiting days per square feet or something like that but I tuned out when it sounded right.

Install starts tomorrow! I've never had hardwood floors before so I'm excited by that and by how this represents an important step in being done with the house!

Thanks everyone.

Just make sure the installer actually does what the owner says. Sometimes the best intentions of the owner are not carried out in the field.

Breezy- Do you have any pictures? I know everyone likes to do before and after, but it would be great to see some progress pictures, too! :)

"He also said that the time the wood sits between install and the sanding/finishing is very important. "

This part confuses me. The wood should be the appropriate moisture level before it is installed, and acclimatization could take 2 days or 2 weeks or indefinitely. Assuming your house is heated/cooled the same during and after acclimating it doesn't matter how long it sits there "between install and the sanding/finishing process" (assuming you aren't spilling stuff all over it!)

Best of luck with your new floor!

Steff--The owner decided to meet with me at the houe in the morning with the installer to make sure everything went right. I think he senses I'm being a nervous nelly.

Lavender--I'll post some update pics and the status on the update thread from the weekend called something about "special sect of AA for TKO" or similar. There are no pictures of the wood now....see my update below.

Idrive--The way he explained it to me was that they could leave the stack of wood sitting in my house for a week, and the middle of the planks in the middle of the pile would not be of the same moisture content as the ends and planks on the top. So even if the pile sat longer, it wouldn't make that much of a difference. By installing the floors and waiting for the sand/finish, it gives those boards that need a tiny bit more drying out the time to do so. Sanding and finishing the few boards that didn't have a chance to acclimatize completely before install is a bad thing I thinkin'.

UPDATE: Met the owner and installer at the house early this a.m. to answer any last questions and watch them get started. They took their moisture readings before I could even get the kids completely out of the car. Bad news. The plywood subfloor was extremely damp. The white oak planks were dried out well enough to install, but they can't be put down in a floor that has so much moisture. We were all shocked. The owner didn't think the subfloor would even be ready for planks in a week. He thinks it'll probably take two weeks for the plywood to sufficiently dry. ARRRRGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I hate to sound so pathetic, but it seems all I do is report setbacks and problems.

I now have to reschedule the other trades waiting to come in after the floor went down. And, we have to push our temporary house move-out date back again. The owner will be so delighted with yet another setback. ;)

I'm sorry to hear this Breezy. Is your subfloor new?

The subfloor is new. DH had to tear the old particle board subfloor out as we were told the oak wouldn't do well installed on that. DH installed most of the new plywood subfloor in early spring. He finished a couple of the small corner areas just recently. The readings were taken from the parts installed in the spring.

I spoke with our city inspector and with our drywall sub today. Both suggested that we take a close look under the house to check for moisture there. Our plumber had to tear out the old vaptor barrier from the dirt crawl space in early spring to get rid of the rat feces and urine. (Yes, suprise! You have rats!)

The dirt sat mostly bare there as the plumber re-plumbed the entire house. The insulation sub just came on Friday to seal and insulate the ductwork under the house, install new floor insulation (never had any), and put down a new vapor barrier. We may have picked up additional moisture under the house without the vapor barrier?? I'm not sure.

The water was turned off in the house until about a month ago, but we did have a wetter summer than usual here in the Pacific NW. Plus, we had to fire the plumber about 1.5 weeks ago so I'm hoping he didn't tamper with anything on his way out as a good-bye gift. You would think the insulation guys under the house last week would have seen leaking pipes if that's the problem.

Anyway, DH will have to go under and look when he's free from work. The drywall sub suggested renting a big fan to put under the house to help extract the moisture. I also left the fan on the furnace running to circulate the air. We'll probably get some fans for inside the house also.

Even though it is disappointing you are taking the right approach. You want that floor to look good forever and this is the critical point that makes that happen for you. It's tough to stay in a temporary place for longer than you thought but it will pay off in the long run and that's why you're doing this.

Breezy, so sorry for yet another frustration. Have you discussed the possibility of using a moisture and vapor barrier under your new HW floor?

You'd still have to ensure the crawl space situation is addressed but perhaps it would provide a little extra insurance that your floors won't warp as much. Downside is a bit of expense for the membrane and labor and a little extra time as the curing period may vary. Maybe the floor gurus here can evaluate whether this would be helpful in your situation.

Don't look at this as a setback. Look at it as a BIG problem avoided. That's a GOOD thing!

Putting down a vapor barrier in a crawl space is an easy project. It's just very yucky to DIY, which is the reason lots of folks had rather pay someone to do it. If you've got a pair of coveralls, don't mind confined spaces, and can deal with the creepy crawlies, it's an opportunity to save a lot of money. The materials might cost you $300 for the whole house. All you need are rolls of 6 mil poly, silicone caulk, and good quality duct tape.

Abundant and Holly--a new vapor barrier was installed on the dirt in the crawl space under the house last Friday as part of the insulation work under there. The old one had to be torn out due to the recent rat activity. (Rats have been taken care of and the situation is being monitored.) I think it cost about $300. Money well-spent in my mind.

Breezy- I had been wondering about your progress. What about a de-humidifier in the house? That might help? Is your HVAC running? Can you turn it down in temperature so that it runs more?

I didn't mean a barrier under the house as you'd already said that was being addressed. I meant a glue or elastomeric or some other barrier over the plywood. It may not be a good idea to seal both sides, but I'd ask whether it might be advisable. Concrete slabs are often sealed that way before the HW is installed.

breezy - I know the set back and reworking all the timelines is a PIA but believe me having all your floors cup from the moisture would be a zillion times worse! You are SO lucky they checked the moisture levels because many installers do not - tell them the subfloor has been down for months and they would assume they are good to go. Kudos to you and the installers for doing their due diligence!!

I think you are being very prudent to rule out any source of the moisture because as the installers noted, this was unexpected and you want to ensure there is no ongoing moisture to cause even more delays.

When our floors cupped and we pulled them up, we had our own moisture reader (they are not too expensive) and checked them ourselves so we knew that the moisture levels were dropping and when we were safe to schedule the installation.
Consider doing this as well so you can have the peace of mind seeing the subfloor get drier and knowing that there is no additional moisture problem that needs to be tackled.

Delays suck but you just dodged a big headache!