The most important factor is obviously the humidity level. You should store your hardwood floors in a controlled environment, never in a garage or basement. If hardwood is stored above 50% moisture, it will absorb a ton of moisture and expand, this will usually occur in the summer months, when humidity is at its highest point. Hardwood floors against a wall deform and curve over time.
Continuous careless storage methods can lead to unwanted cracks, cracks, and stains in the wood. So rely on environmentally controlled storage solutions for hardwood floors to keep them in good condition. Store hardwoods flat on the floor, away from walls. Raise the wood off the concrete floor by stacking it on a level, stable object.
Relocate the wood to another area if garage conditions change the exterior of the wood. Dry damp hardwoods after moving and dry them again before installation. First, the wooden floor should be stored in a warm and dry environment. Never leave floor boxes in a garage, shed, or anywhere outdoors.
Place cardboard boxes flat, under a bed or on a shelf inside the house, it's better, in the garage, as long as it's outside the concrete floor and it's not too damp there. To finish off, the garage is a great place to store hardwood floors if you pass all of the tests on this list. Conversely, wood shrinks and sinks if the hardwood material is stored in a warm climate and installed in a colder climate, creating voids during the drastic temperature change. If left alone, poorly stored hardwood floors will almost always have too much trouble installing them when the time comes to do so.
Store your floor in an area of the home that has a controlled humidity level between 45% and 35% humidity. Hardwood floors are extremely susceptible to damage from water, weather, and heat, so they must be properly stored so that they are viable for use when you need it. Never store new floors on top of old floors because the different moisture content of the newer floor can damage the older floor. For example, if the hardwood floor material stays in a cold garage and is placed in an area at room temperature, the wood will expand excessively and adjust to the temperature change.
Ask for specific recommendations for your hardwood product, as details may change depending on the process and type of wood. Generally speaking, if you need to store your hardwood floor for a period of time, the wood should be exposed to the least possible warehouse change. When the weather is humid due to rain or snow, or if it is particularly humid, avoid loading or unloading hardwood floors. While it may be OK to leave hardwood floors outside or in the garage under a tarp for a few days during installation, these conditions are not acceptable for long-term storage.
If you are stocking a large number of hardwood floors and don't plan to use them all during a project, it's best to rotate the material. Many people wouldn't consider storing a floor to be a problem at all, but several factors really need to be considered when storing hardwood.
