first, read the box very carefully...generally you never acclimate engineered.
even if the box says to acclimate, do NOT unwrap the bundles.

leave them in their box until you are ready to install.
as far as where to place them, I would just choose the first room you will install.

the idea behind NOT acclimated engineered is because the plank is made up of several different species. You have your main layer, or wear layer, which is the species you wanted along with it being finished, but every other layer is generally a different species than your finished layer. and since different species absorb moisture at different rates, you don't want to have a difficult time getting the boards together when installing.

if you are going to question my quote at least quote it correctly..

"first, read the box very carefully...generally you never acclimate engineered.
even if the box says to acclimate, do NOT unwrap the bundles."

I say Generally you don't acclimate engineered. sometimes the box says to acclimate, but a lot of manufactures wrap their engineered in plastic and then stick that in cardboard. im saying do not unwrap the wood from the plastic.

leaving the box unopened in the room is "acclimating" enough.

I had some bonehead once deliver some engineered floor and open every box, and when I went to install it the tongues had swollen to the point where I could get the boards to go together very easily.

gregmills, I was not intentionally misquoting you. I used the ellipses (...) to clearly indicate that I was leaving words out. Since your actual words were directly above mine, I saw no need to write out the entire quote so I used the ellipses instead. I do believe I used the ellipses properly, but I'm no expert.

I was asking a legitimate question because, as I said, I was confused by your answer, and also because I am planning to use engineered hardwood in my own home in the near future and I wanted to know what you meant. Nothing more, nothing less.

Relax everyone... The confusion was because the next sentence began with a typo which gave the lower case for the first letter in the word 'even'...Had the word appeared as Even, there would not have been any confusion. I too read along and missed the period at the end of the preceding sentence.

As for the answer given, gregmills is correct; Acclimate for temperature, but do not open the packages or unwrap from the plastic until you are ready to install.

I didn't understand what was being said either. Sounded like don't acclimate engineered even if they say to. My manuf told me to stack the cartons 2-3 (no more) in each pile in the house. Engineered. There was no plastic inside the carton. I would never unpack and de-assemble all those boards to acclimate.

I would bring the boxes upstairs to acclimate in their rooms, as rooms and floors can be so different.

Alrighty then...
Anyway...
Thanks!

I'm thinking in each room where I'll be installing them last.

Sorry, my apologies. I didn't mean to come off as rude or confrontational.

I jumped the gun and after re-reading my post I can see the confusion.

No problem, thanks!...

Regarding whether or not to open the boxes during acclimation, the manufacturer says "Acclimation: Elevate cartons from the floor by placing them on 2âÂÂX 2â lumber or equivalence. Place spacers (3/4â to 1â sticks) between each layer or cross stack the layers for maximum exposure to ambient conditions. Acclimation temperature range is 60ðF-80ðF and relative humidity (RH) of 35%-55%. Conditions in which the floor was acclimated should be maintained continuously thereafter..."

I'm also wondering how to maintain conditions in which the floor was acclimated "continuously thereafter" because i.e. currently it is colder than usual. I have no windows open AND no A/C on but that's not always going to be the case continuously hereafter...?

it may get a bit dicey with no ac in the summer time. you really need to keep a close watch on the humidity levels in different seasons.

Engineered wood does do better with fluctuations in humidity better than solid, but its not bullet proof.

best idea but also expensive is invest in AC if you live in an area with high humidity. but also a good humidifier and dehumidifier is probably a necessity.

I've been curious about the controlled temps/humidty thing ...

There is an area near me that has lots of Craftsman style homes built in the 20s through 40s. Many still do not have air conditioning, yet the hardwood floors have survived. In fact, I've lived in several of these homes over the years and the flooring was in amazing condition. What makes those floors different from the flooring sold today? I want wood flooring (engineered over slab) in my house, but I hate air conditioning and only turn it on when I absolutely have to. If flooring didn't need a controlled environment back in the day, why does it need it now? I'm in So. Cal. where it is generally dry; does that make a difference and is controlled temps and humidity not as important here?

Difficult to give a short answer to your question, because so many things come to mind. Housing units are designed and constructed differently than they were 50 or 60 years ago; heating systems have changed, building envelopes are insulated and sealed, air movement within the structures is different. The wood itself is different in that wood grown to be harvested grows at an accelerated rate (it is not the same beast, no matter what a wood scientist may want to claim) and that results in an end product that is more hygroscopic than slow growth wood of the same specie. It is also not as dense and as stable.

Engineered wood flooring has attempted to overcome the problems of changing environmental conditions within our new homes with some success. But it is not all constructed the same...similar yes, but with some big differences that can affect how an engineered product performs in a particular home.

But that's all I have time for...and that is only scratching the surface of the topic with generalizations.

Hi all-I am renovating a house at the Jersey shore, on the bay. I'll be laying the same material in LR/DR/kitchen area...all 1 big open layout.

I wanted random width wood floors but the salesman at flooring store said real hardwood will cup in 6 months in the humid environment. (this store is the biggest one in the area and installs the majority of the floors in our area so I would assume he's knowledgeable)
We almost never use a/c since we get a great breeze off the water. The engineered floor I am considering is hickory and has a 30 year wear warranty.

Help! Do I go with real wood and risk cupping or do i get the "less desirable" engineered wood?

I thought engineered wood was "less desirable" than solid wood too but apparently after talking to several flooring stores, hi-end remodeling companies and even some Realtors...in South Florida, it's not.

Now go start your own thread...;)