Do Cabinet Doors From Cutting Edge Need To Acclimate?
Do cabinet doors need to acclimate? Usually not. Learn when acclimation may matter and what your cabinet doors need after delivery.
At A Glance
Should You Wait Before Installing New Cabinet Doors?
Cutting Edge does not suggest an acclimation period before installation. The wood has little to adjust to if the factory and home have similar climate-controlled environments. A major difference in temperature or humidity can change that answer. However, ensuring proper storage after delivery is better than waiting a set number of hours or days.
You’ve received your first order of cabinet doors, and you have heard they need time to “acclimate” before installation. That may leave you wondering whether you should unpack them and wait 24, 48, or 72 hours before getting to work. More importantly, could installing them too soon cause movement or warping?
At Cutting Edge Doors & Woodworking in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, we manufacture and ship hundreds of cabinet doors each day. Those doors travel through hot, cold, and changing weather before reaching their destination. Based on our experience, cabinet doors do not need an acclimation period when moving between similar climate-controlled environments.
In this article, you’ll learn:
Do Cabinet Doors Need To Acclimate Before You Install Them?
Cabinet doors from Cutting Edge do not need to acclimate for a set amount of time before installation.
You may have heard that wood products should sit for a day or two before use so they can adjust to the surrounding temperature and humidity. That can matter for some wood products and environments, but it does not mean every cabinet door order needs to sit for 24, 48, or 72 hours.
Instead, the more useful question is whether the doors are moving between two different environments.
At Cutting Edge, we produce cabinet doors indoors in a controlled shop environment. Ideally, you will install them inside a climate-controlled building. In this case, the doors don’t have to adjust to a major environmental change. For example, a cabinet door may leave our heated shop during a Saskatchewan winter, travel in a cold trailer, and arrive at a heated cabinet shop in Alberta. Although the outdoor temperature changes during that trip, the door starts and ends in an indoor environment.
When Might Cabinet Doors Need To Acclimate?
Although most cabinet doors don’t need a set acclimation period, giving the order time to adjust may make sense in some situations.
Wood responds to the moisture in the surrounding air. As humidity changes, wood can gain or lose moisture, causing small changes in its dimensions.
For example, consider a cabinet door made in a humid coastal region and shipped to a desert climate. That door is facing a much greater long-term environmental change than one moving between two climate-controlled buildings in Western Canada. In that situation, your supplier may recommend an acclimation period before installation. The same concern applies if the installation site does not yet have stable temperature and humidity. Rather than simply waiting a set number of hours, you may need to stabilize the building before opening the order.
| Situation | Is A Separate Acclimation Period Usually Needed? |
|---|---|
| Climate-controlled shop to climate-controlled home | Usually no |
| Climate-controlled shop to climate-controlled cabinet shop | Usually no |
| Delivery during hot or cold weather | Usually no |
| Installation in an unfinished building without climate control | Stabilize the environment first |
| Major difference between manufacturing and installation climates | Possibly |
| Supplier provides specific instructions | Follow those instructions |
The guidelines in the chart above are general, based on our experience and recommendations. Different manufacturers use different materials, construction methods, packaging, and finishes. Because of those differences, always follow your supplier’s instructions when they provide them.
Do Doors Need To Acclimate After Extreme Weather During Transit?
Receiving cabinet doors during extreme weather can make acclimation seem especially important. However, the weather experienced during transit doesn’t mean your cabinet doors need to acclimate.
Packaging helps reduce exposure in transit. At Cutting Edge, we wrap cabinet door skids in shrink wrap, add a cardboard layer, and then wrap them again. This creates a barrier between the doors and the external conditions. That packaging does not make the doors immune to temperature or humidity, and it does not mean the skid should stay outside after delivery. Instead, it helps protect the order during the temporary conditions during shipping.
Once your order arrives, move it into an appropriate indoor environment as soon as practical. A door may spend a short period in a cold truck without creating a problem. However, leaving the same skid in an unheated garage or trailer for several days is a different story.
In most cases, the environment after delivery matters more than the weather the truck travelled through.
Should You Open Cabinet Door Packaging To Help The Doors Acclimate?
Not necessarily.
Opening the packaging too early can remove some of the protection that packaging provides. This is especially important for raw wood cabinet doors, which have not yet received a protective finish. At Cutting Edge, we recommend leaving raw cabinet doors packaged until you are within 24 hours of finishing them. The goal is to keep them protected until you are ready to finish them.
If you purchased your doors from another supplier, check their policy before opening or storing them. Their materials, processes, packaging, and warranty requirements may differ from ours.
What Do Cabinet Doors Need Between Arrival And Installation?
Proper storage matters more than waiting a set number of hours.
Keep your doors dry and inside a stable, climate-controlled environment. Don’t leave them outdoors, in an unfinished building, or anywhere exposed to temperature and humidity swings. They should also remain properly supported and protected while they wait. Raw cabinet doors need extra attention because they don’t have a protective finish. Follow your supplier’s recommended finishing timeline and don’t open the package until you are ready to finish the doors.
Instead of watching the clock, keep the doors in the right environment until you are ready to use them.
You Usually Do Not Need To Acclimate Cutting Edge Cabinet Doors
For most Cutting Edge orders, you do not need to wait 24, 48, or 72 hours before installing your cabinet doors. Acclimation time adds little value if the factory (and destination) buildings are climate-controlled. However, a major climate change or unstable building conditions can change that answer.
Once you know acclimation is not a concern, your next priority is protecting the doors between delivery and installation. Your next step is to learn how to properly store cabinet doors, including where to keep them and which conditions to avoid.
