You need to let your floor acclimatise to its new surroundings before it is installed in your home. Acclimatisation is a vital part of fitting your floor and should not be overlooked. The reason that you need to do this is to let the bamboo planks or blocks to adapt to their new surroundings, which reduces the risk of movement and damage after installation.
Bamboo is a natural product that slightly expands and contracts depending upon its surroundings. This is a completely natural process and is nothing to worry about. Everyone’s home is a different temperature and humidity, so it is important to let the bamboo acclimatise to your home before it is fitted. It is a simple process outlined below.
How do I acclimatise my new bamboo floor?
Follow these simple steps: Firstly, make sure you are organized. Arrange for your bamboo flooring to be delivered to your home in plenty of time. It will need to acclimatise for at least 48 hours before installation starts. Make sure you leave the flooring in the unopened boxes, in the room where it is going to be installed. If you have a concrete subfloor, you should raise the boxes of flooring off the concrete using batons. The room that you are leaving the bamboo flooring in needs to be completely dry and free from any wet plaster. You will also need to make sure that:
• the humidity in the room is between 45-65%
• the ambient temperature in the room is between 17 – 22°C
Furthermore, the bamboo should not be left near any heat sources, such as radiators or portable heaters as this can affect how it acclimatises. Finally, make sure you leave the bamboo to acclimatise for at least 48 hours before you begin to install it. For more information, please have a look at the Acclimatisation and storage Guidelines.
