When you choose hardwood floors for your space, you are getting a natural product that is timeless, long lasting, and durable. If you choose oiled hardwood floors, wide plank flooring, or white oak hardwood flooring, every type of floor made from wood will be affected by moisture and humidity.
Humidity and moisture are known to be hardwood floor’s biggest enemies. Ideally, engineered hardwood should be kept at humidity levels between 35% and 55%. Some of the damage that can occur due to humidity levels that are too high or too low are:
- Warped hardwood planks: Caused by too much moisture in the air, swollen planks are problematic because the boards become too large and end up rubbing against one another, which can result in a squeaky floor.
- Cupping: This occurs due to low humidity levels causing moisture to be absorbed by the wood.
- Splitting: Wood can become weak when the atmosphere is too dry, which results in splintering planks and brittle floors that are more prone to damage.
3 Ways to Protect Your Hardwood Floors from Humidity
For hardwood floors in the Toronto area, our humid summers and cold, wet winters can be an issue. While we can’t do much to control the weather, there are steps you can take to manage the humidity levels in your home in order to support and extend the life of your hardwood floors.
- Have your air conditioner, furnace and any air humidifiers serviced at least once a year. All three of these systems can play a huge role in establishing the right humidity levels for your home. Not only will your matte or oiled hardwood floors thank you, but the right humidity levels will also prevent mold and eliminate dust mites.
- If you go away for long periods of time, don’t completely turn off your air conditioning or your heat.
- Work with an experienced hardwood flooring expert because they will understand the importance of acclimatizing the wood before it is installed. If the floors are not properly installed to account for natural contraction and expansion, you will experience even more issues when it comes to seasonal humidity.
In addition to these tips for protecting your hardwood floors, be sure to also limit the amount of moisture by cleaning up wetness tracked in during wet weather and using only damp mops to clean your floors.
When you take care of your hardwood floors, they can certainly last a lifetime. Ready to invest in high quality engineered hardwood? Contact European Flooring in Toronto. Not only do we offer more than 50 different surfaces and finish treatments, but our certified installation services means that your floors will be properly installed to handle Toronto humidity. Find out more about our engineered hardwood flooring collections.