Hardwood is honest. It tells on us when we rush. Skip acclimation, and the floor may look perfect on day one, then start talking back with gaps, cupping, or squeaks weeks later.
In Georgia, humidity changes are not subtle. Even in January 2026, when many homes run heat and the air inside dries out, outdoor humidity around Alpharetta still averages roughly 66 to 71 percent. That push and pull between outdoor moisture and indoor climate is exactly why hardwood acclimation Georgia homeowners follow matters so much.
Below is the same approach we use on real jobs, written as a simple checklist you can follow before installation, sanding, or stair work.
Why Georgia humidity makes hardwood move (even in winter)
Wood is like a sponge with a memory. It absorbs moisture when the air is damp, then releases moisture when the air dries. That change affects board width, thickness, and sometimes flatness. In Georgia, the risk is not one season, it’s the swing between seasons and the short swings from rainy weeks to cold, heated indoor air.
Here is what we see most often:
Gaps between boards: In winter, indoor air can drop below a comfortable humidity level because heaters remove moisture. Boards shrink across their width, and seams show. Small seasonal gaps can be normal, but wide gaps usually point to rushed acclimation or unstable indoor conditions.
Cupping (edges higher than the center): This happens when the bottom of the board holds more moisture than the top. In Georgia, this often traces back to moisture coming from a crawl space, slab, or damp air trapped under the floor. Cupping is a moisture imbalance problem, not a “bad wood” problem.
Noisy boards and squeaks: When planks and subfloors expand and contract at different rates, fasteners can loosen, boards can rub, and the floor starts to sound hollow or squeaky in traffic lanes.
For a clear explanation of why acclimation time varies and why “X days” is not a safe rule, we like the practical guidance from Wagner Meters on acclimating wood flooring.
What “acclimated” really means in hardwood acclimation Georgia homes
Acclimation is not just letting boxes sit in a room. It’s getting the flooring to the same moisture condition it will live in after installation, so movement stays inside the normal range.
Target the living conditions, not the garage
We acclimate hardwood in a closed-in, conditioned home. That means:
- Temperature kept steady, commonly 60 to 80°F
- Indoor relative humidity kept in a controlled band, often 30 to 50 percent
- The home is past wet trades (no fresh concrete pours, heavy drywall mudding, or active plumbing leaks)
If boards acclimate in a garage, on a porch, or beside a damp slab wall, they adjust to the wrong environment. Once installed inside, they move again, and that second move is what creates trouble.
Measure moisture content instead of guessing
We don’t rely on the calendar. We rely on readings. A typical target range for many homes is 6 to 9 percent moisture content in the wood, and we aim for the wood to be within about 2 percent of the subfloor moisture content. When those numbers settle and stop drifting, acclimation is doing its job.
Wide plank floors raise the stakes because wider boards show movement more. If you are planning wide planks, our notes in How to Install Wide Plank Flooring align with what we see on Georgia job sites: stable indoor conditions matter as much as the fastening method.
A simple acclimation checklist that prevents gaps, cupping, and squeaks
Use this as a plain, job-ready list. We recommend printing it and checking items off.
- Run HVAC before delivery: Keep the home at normal living temperature and humidity for at least several days before wood arrives. We want the house stable first, not the wood.
- Finish wet work completely: Tile thinset, grout, paint, and concrete patching must be dry. Wood should be installed last, not while moisture is still leaving the building.
- Confirm indoor humidity with a hygrometer: Don’t guess. If indoor RH is low from heat, add a humidifier. If it’s high from weather or a damp crawl space, use a dehumidifier.
- Check subfloor moisture: Plywood and OSB should be checked in multiple spots. Concrete requires proper moisture testing methods for the product you plan to install.
- Bring flooring into the install rooms: Acclimate where it will live, not in a hallway “for convenience.”
- Open packaging for airflow (as the manufacturer allows): Many products acclimate better when cartons are opened or ends are cut. Follow the flooring brand’s written instructions.
- Stack correctly: Keep boxes flat, off concrete, and with small air gaps between stacks. Avoid stacking against exterior walls or near supply vents.
- Measure flooring moisture content daily: Take readings from different bundles. Track the numbers. When readings stabilize and match the site, you are close.
- Inspect boards before installation: Sort out damaged pieces, color outliers, and milling issues before they get nailed down.
- Plan for expansion gaps and transitions: Even well-acclimated wood needs room at walls and proper transitions at long runs.
If you want a manufacturer example of the climate-control language many installers follow, see Hallmark’s solid hardwood installation instructions. We use those kinds of documents to confirm storage, temperature, and site prep requirements for each specific product.
After installation: keep the house stable so the floor stays quiet
Acclimation is the start, not the finish. The fastest way to undo good acclimation is to let indoor humidity swing wildly after the job.
Our baseline recommendation is to keep indoor RH in a consistent comfort zone year-round (often around the mid-range of what your flooring allows). In winter, a whole-home humidifier can prevent wide gaps. In summer, air conditioning and dehumidification help prevent cupping and swelling. Keep vents from blasting directly onto one section of floor, and address crawl space moisture early.
This is also where project coordination matters. When we handle floors along with wet-area work, we schedule it so wood is not exposed to prolonged damp conditions. If your plan includes a bath refresh, shower tile, or floor tile, our Alpharetta bathroom tile installation services can be timed so hardwood goes in after the moisture work is fully cured.
Homeowners often find us while searching phrases like best flooring contractor in alpharetta ga or best flooring company alpharetta and milton, but many projects overlap. We also help clients looking for a bathroom remodeling contractor in alpharetta and Milton, the best local kitchen remodeling contractor in alpharetta, the best kitchen contractor alpharetta, a tile installation company Alpharetta, or stair specialists such as a Stair company Alpharetta and stair contractor alpharetta. When stairs are involved, we also get calls from homeowners looking for the top hardwood floor sanding contractor in alpharetta, especially when older treads and landings need sanding and refinishing to match new flooring.
For more about who we are and how we schedule flooring and remodeling together, see why homeowners choose us in Alpharetta and Milton. For a free estimate, call us at 470-352-1156. If you show us any existing written quote from another contractor, we’ll beat it by 5% (with comparable scope and materials).
Hardwood rewards patience. With hardwood acclimation Georgia homeowners can trust, we reduce the risk of gaps, cupping, and noisy boards before the first plank is installed. Set the home’s conditions, measure moisture, stack the material correctly, and install only when the numbers are stable. If you want the job planned and installed with that same discipline, call 470-352-1156 for a free estimate, and bring any written quote so we can beat it by 5%.