Do Kitchen Cabinets Need to Acclimate? Must-Know Advice

Installing new kitchen cabinets instantly improves your kitchen’s appearance. However, warped, bubbled, and damaged cabinets will make the room look much worse. Acclimating your kitchen cabinets can make a big difference, so it’s worth considering the benefits.

Kitchen cabinets need to acclimate for 48 to 72 hours, depending on the type of wood and whether or not it’s painted. Acclimating the cabinets allows the wood to adapt to moisture and temperature. If the cabinets are installed before they acclimate, they can peel and expand, making them unlevel.

Acclimating your kitchen cabinets prior to installing them can be a game-changer. I remember living in a home where the homeowners didn’t let their cabinets acclimate. They ended up having to replace the cabinets because they slouched and put a lot of pressure on the hinges.

How to Acclimate Kitchen Cabinets

Here’s how to acclimate kitchen cabinets:

1. Lay the cabinets in the kitchen for 72 hours. Most experts suggest acclimating kitchen cabinets for 2 to 3 days before installing them. This allows them to expand and shrink with the temperature and moisture in the air. Don’t stack them more than a few cabinets high.
2. Maintain the room’s temperature around 68 degrees to 75 degrees. Most wood cabinets need to acclimate in a dry, mild to moderate temperature range. This setting prevents the wood from expanding too much, which could cause it to warp or crack.
3. Use a hygrometer and a dehumidifier or humidifier to keep the humidity lower than 50%. Humidity can cause a lot of problems for kitchen cabinets, so it’s a huge part of the acclimation process. Too much moisture will cause the wood to warp and grow mold, whereas not enough humidity can dry and crack the cabinets.
4. Paint the cabinets before installing them. If the cabinets are too hot or wet, it can make the paint bubble. Bubbled, rippled paint will eventually chip and ruin the kitchen cabinets. Painting the cabinetry before mounting it will allow you to cover the whole surface easily.
5. Mount the cabinets on the hinges in the kitchen, then add touch-up paint if necessary. You’ll be able to see how the paint looks once the cabinets are acclimated and mounted. If they don’t need touch-up paint, then you’re good to go!

Acclimating is a crucial part of many installation projects. However, it affects all sorts of materials, including leather, wood, and some fabrics. For instance, I wrote a lot about how humidity and temperature can affect desks with leather tops.

Do Cabinets Need to Be Climate-Controlled?

Cabinets need to be climate-controlled to prevent the paint from warping and to make sure the wood doesn’t expand or shrink. Humidity can cause porous wooden cabinets to grow mold and mildew. These contaminants cause wood rot, which permanently ruins the cabinets.

Fortunately, climate-controlling your cabinets is much easier than it seems. Here are my top suggestions to keep your cabinets in good condition:

• Don’t use a humidifier too much. Most places have to deal with a lot of humidity in the summer and not enough humidity in the winter. Consider getting a whole-house hygrometer (a humidity monitor) or a mini dehumidifier with a built-in humidity display.
• Spills can cause just as much damage to your cabinets as ambient humidity. Always clean your cabinets with cleaning solutions (not just water) when they get crumbs or spills on them. Not only can they cause a lot of discoloration, but they can also expand and warp the wooden cabinets.
• Maintain your home’s internal temperature to preserve the cabinets. BKC Kitchen and Bath claims you should keep your home between 60 degrees to 80 degrees, which is fairly common for most households. These measurements make acclimating your kitchen cabinets and keeping them climate-controlled quite simple.
• Look for signs of mold or mildew on the cabinets, then treat them if necessary. Mold on wooden cabinets often looks like black, brown, or dark green speckles. My favorite mold cleaning solution is one part white vinegar to four parts warm water.

A cabinet’s material plays a significant role in how it acclimates or how it’s affected by humidity and temperature. Read on if you’re thinking about storing your cabinets in sheds, garages, and other locations around your home.

Can New Kitchen Cabinets Be Stored in the Garage?

New kitchen cabinets can be stored in the garage if you live in a mild to moderate climate. Never store your cabinets in the garage or a shed if the humidity is above 50%, or if the temperature is below freezing or above 90 degrees outside.

Custom Cabinets by Lawrence explains that long-term exposure to humidity over 80% can cause long-lasting damage to your kitchen cabinets. However, there are many other issues that can damage your kitchen cabinets if you store them in the garage.

Review these variables:

• Termites and other pests can eat through the wood and weaken the cabinets.
• Heat lamps and space heaters can expand the wood, especially if there’s moisture present.
• Cabinets are much more susceptible to damage if they’re out for people to bump into.
• Painted cabinets will bubble if they get too hot in a garage (garages tend to amplify the internal heat).

While you can store your kitchen cabinets in the garage while they acclimate, there are many safer places. For instance, I’d always recommend acclimating your cabinets in whichever room you intend to mount them. Your kitchen cabinets should be stored in your kitchen, your bathroom cabinets should be stored in your bathroom, and so on.

Each room has varying temperatures and humidity. Bathrooms usually get a lot more humid than kitchens due to shower steam. Keeping your cabinets in the bathroom will help them acclimate to these changes. However, I highly recommend using mold-resistant paint prior to storing your cabinets in the bathroom.

Keep in mind that painted cabinets don’t usually have to acclimate for too long. The most important part is to ensure the paint doesn’t come in contact with direct heat sources. Soon enough, your kitchen cabinets will acclimate and be ready to install.