Moisture conditions, temperature and humidity levels play an important part in the life of natural wood flooring. Although the installation process requires skill and precision, the success of an installation is in many ways reliant on the acclimatisation and moisture conditions during and after installation. As environmental conditions greatly affect the behaviour of natural wood floors, temperature and humidity should be controlled, before, during and after the installation process to avert potential disaster.

The main responsibility of the installer prior to installation is making sure the moisture levels within the sub-floor are low enough to lay the floor. Where concrete or other cementitious slabs are present, mainly in ground/basement levels, the installers should take a hygrometer reading to see if conditions are suitable and no damp is present. BS8201 recommends an equilibrium reading of no greater then 75%RH although this is recommended as an upper level and in practice a better equilibrium reading in the region of 65%RH should be used. The 75% Relative Humidity guidance provided in BS8201 is equivalent to a moisture content of between 4% and 5%.

In addition to checking the moisture, in ground/basement levels the installer should check to see if a Damp Proof Membrane (DPM) exists and if not or if it has been compromised the fitter may be required to do so before moving on to the floor installation.