Is your wood floor in its comfort zone? Believe it or not, wood floors react to the environment they are in - and they like the environment to be “just right.” As we approach winter and cooler temperatures settle in, you may need to add a humidifier to your home to keep your floors comfortable.
When cool, dry air settles in after the summer months our homes’ environment changes as well. While the air inside was much warmer and more humid, temperatures and humidity levels tend to drop come fall. This can cause your wood floors to react - they can shift or warp once they are outside of their “comfort zone.”
So what is the “comfort zone” for wood floors? Most woods prefer to be in an environment with temperatures between 68 and 78 degrees with a relative humidity level between 35 and 55 percent.
What does this mean for you? It might be a smart idea to purchase a humidifier for your home before it’s too late. A humidifier can help regulate the environment inside your home to keep your floors in good shape.
Take a winter in Albany, NY for example: “20-degree-F outside air at 100% RH leaking into a 70-degree-F house will become about 12% RH air. What will that do to flooring? In actuality, the air usually mixes rapidly with household moisture and doesn't hit these extremes. But in localized spots or over the long term, very dry spots can happen.” While people, plants and cooking activities are all natural sources of humidity in the home, sometimes it takes a bit extra to get to the recommended levels for hardwood flooring.
Want to learn more about maintaining your hardwood floors? Contact the experts at Hall Flooring today and don’t forget to connect with us on Facebook! Labels: hall flooring, hardwood floor maintenance, maintaining wood floors, relative humidity for wood floors, temperature for wood floors, warping wood floors, wood floor maintenance
