How long?
| Floor | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Laminate | 48 hours |
| Vinyl plank | 24–48 hours |
| Engineered wood | No fixed time: when the room conditions and subfloor moisture match what the maker requires |
| Solid hardwood | No fixed time: until the boards' moisture content matches the room and the subfloor. Tropical species often take 2–3 times longer |
| Tile | Not needed, but store adhesive and grout at room temperature |
How to do it
- Bring the boxes into the room where they will be laid, not the garage or a cold hallway.
- Lay them flat, away from radiators, windows and outside walls.
- Laminate and click vinyl: leave the boxes closed unless the maker says otherwise. Solid wood that needs to adjust: open the bundles and stack the boards with spacers between the layers so air reaches every side.
- Keep the room at normal living conditions. For wood, use the range your flooring maker gives. NWFA's North American range is 16–27 °C (60–80 °F) and 30–50% relative humidity; European makers often give different ranges. For laminate and vinyl, follow the box.
- Keep those conditions during installation and for a few days after.
For wood, measure rather than count days. Check the moisture content of boards from several boxes with a moisture meter set for the species, and of the subfloor. When they match the room and each other, you can install straight away. Waiting 5–7 days is NWFA's advice for unfinished floors after installation, before sanding.
Installing in a building that is still drying out, after plastering or a new screed, is the most common cause of wood floor problems. Wait until the building is dry.
Wood flooring guidance on this page follows the NWFA Wood Flooring Installation Guidelines (2025 edition) from the US National Wood Flooring Association, written for North America. In Europe, national codes apply instead, such as BS 8201 in the UK and DIN 18356 in Germany, and climate ranges often differ. Your flooring maker's instructions come first: if they say something different, follow them.
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