Decking Acclimation Guide

Before starting construction on a new Boston deck, the boards must be put through an acclimation process for several weeks in conditions similar to where they will be installed. A completed deck will be open to the elements, and the acclimation period will prepare the wood to handle those conditions. You would not install your deck in a shed or cover the completed thing with a tarp, so why would you do that to the boards? Instead, stack your lumber outdoors with spacers between each layer, allowing for plenty of air flow over every surface of every piece of decking. If you don't allow your wood to acclimate, it will lead to warping, buckling, and checking.