Had a whole section of engineered wood buckle on me in a Phoenix summer install
I was putting down this prefinished engineered oak in a big living room out in Scottsdale, maybe 500 square feet. The homeowner wanted it done fast before a party, so I agreed to a two-day schedule. I left the boxes in the garage overnight to acclimate, but the garage wasn't air-conditioned and it hit 110 degrees that day. Next morning, I started laying it and it seemed fine, but by the afternoon, a whole center section, maybe 8 planks wide, had these huge humps and gaps. The heat in the garage made the wood swell way more than the house's AC, so it contracted after I installed it. I ended up having to pull up that whole section, let the planks sit inside for another 24 hours, and redo it on day three. Cost me a full day's pay. Anyone else run into major acclimation issues in really dry or hot climates? How long do you guys wait when the temps are extreme?