Make sure the place is well ventilated by opening all the windows and doors. Test for moisture at several locations in the room – a minimum of 20 per 1,000 square feet – and average the results. Key Features. Hardwood floors cup because of the differential in moisture content between the bottom, unfinished surface of a floor-board and the top, finished surface of the floorboard in a conditioned living space. Grime and dirt can tarnish your wood's finish to something black if you do not clean on a regular basis. Tom Laurenzi If you’re installing your hardwood floors over a wood subfloor, you should avoid using a moisture barrier. … If you opt for hardwood in your home, it’s important to take steps to protect it from moisture, so it stays looking its best for as long as possible. BUCKLING:Buckling is one of the most extreme reactions to moisture that can occur with a hardwood floor. You will want to make sure that the moisture level of your flooring is within 2 – 4 percent of the moisture level of your subfloor. This will vary from product to product. In other words, it helps to form a moisture barrier to keep moisture from coming through the sub-floor and up into the hardwood, thus protecting your floors. But, what would a safe level of moisture in flooring be for hardwood? Overall, most people prefer to use pinless moisture meters, like the ProScan, for testing hardwood floors because they can test moisture in wood without the need to create pinholes in it. Wood moisture meters for flooring applications come in two varieties: pin-type and pinless. This allows the amount of moisture on your hardwood floor to be controlled. When high-quality wood is installed well, it can be one of the most beautiful and long-lasting flooring materials on the market. Posted by Easy to Spin. A change in moisture content of a piece of hardwood flooring from 0% to 28% will increase the size of the piece approximately 0.1% along the LENGTH of the board, and 5% to 15% change in size in WIDTH of the strip with plain sawn flooring. In short, the more humidity that is present in the air, the more moisture wood building materials, such as flooring, will absorb. temperature and ambient moisture conditions. These problems are not only disrupting functions of the building due to maintenance operations but also costly. If the temperature of the building is between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit, the equilibrium moisture content of your wood should be between 7% and 8%. b. Whether you’re a woodworker making cabinets, a wood flooring professional installing hardwood floors, or if you use wood in construction, wood moisture … Signs of Mold Under Hardwood Floors Obviously, mold can appear in a variety […] These devices can be used to test the moisture content (%MC) of wood flooring in mere seconds. Businesses use hardwood floors in their offices to create an elegant and sophisticated atmosphere while homeowners use it to create smooth, easy-to-clean surfaces that (when properly sealed) resist staining and look beautiful. But, what is the ideal moisture content for wood flooring? For all intents and purposes, the ideal moisture of flooring wood will be the moisture content at which the wood reaches equilibrium with the installation environment. How do you know if your flooring is at the ideal moisture content for wood in your installation site? Document all results. The Effect of Moisture and Humidity on Hardwood Floors Moisture problems in wood floors can be caused by many different factors. If the air is cold and wet, then the wood will start absorbing some of the excess moisture in the air. By contrast, environments with less humidity tend to make wood lose moisture. This has a direct effect on how much wood flooring will expand after installation. Much warped wood floor due to water damage tends to be unrepairable. 84 $49.95 $49.95. Do not use excessive moisture on unsealed wood floors. The whole process of installing hardwood floors over concrete slabs relates to moisture measurement and control. Measuring the moisture content of hardwood floors is a vital step in the hardwood floor installation process. However, there is one factor that can complicate a wood flooring installation job that many clients don’t know about: moisture. These devices can be used to test the moisture content (%MC) of wood flooring in mere seconds. The answer to this can change depending on the temperature and ambient moisture conditions of the installation site. This can cause the subfloor to warp and rot, promoting mold growth and causing serious damage to your home. These meters can measure up to 3/4 or 1 1/2 inches into flooring, depending on the meter. One of the biggest threats to the integrity of wood floors is moisture. Nearly any well-maintained hardwood product can last hundreds of years. Doing so can help ensure that your wood floors won’t warp or buckle after the installation is complete. Hardwood floors are typically milled at about 6 – 7 percent moisture, and they can get up to 10 percent without significantly changing form. Too much moisture can cause hardwood flooring to swell and cup. High moisture and hardwood floors: If your hardwood floors are cupping. If the temperature of the building is between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit, the equilibrium moisture content of your wood should be between 7% and 8%. Fix the source of moisture2. This is why it’s important to measure moisture in flooring wood as well as the ambient temperature and humidity conditions before installing hardwood floors. Without paying attention to it, an imbalance between the sub floor and new wood flooring can cause unsightly affects with the most common being cupping. That said, wood must be cared for. , for testing hardwood floors because they can test moisture in wood without the need to create pinholes in it. And, how can you accurately measure flooring moisture to be sure that your floors are safe? Test the floor in different spots; some areas have more moisture than other areas. It happens when the floor literally pulls away from the subfloor, up to heights as high as several inches. Wood is a hygroscopic material, which absorbs or looses moisture until … Before your hardwood is installed, the sub floor (or floor your hardwood will be fastened to) may begin to take on excessive moisture do to humid weather conditions. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(196934, '6d872548-fc0a-4b60-84a5-c3d1513ee74b', {}); Sign up now to receive updates on our latest blogs and news. Wood is a hygroscopic material, which absorbs or looses moisture until … The company that installed them is a very reputable company and we are using them again for the new floors. In this blog post, we want to break down the importance of moisture readings when it comes to drying out hardwood floors that have sustained water damage. Will Lauzon hardwood floor re-expand (gaps close) if moisture is regained? Fluctuations in the wave are used to measure the moisture content of the wood. Our floor is about 2 winters old and the first winter we were on vacation (lowered house temperature-we live in Canada) and returned in early July and we saw no gaps. Wood flooring meters can be used to quickly measure the moisture content of wood and come in two varieties: To ensure that your wood is at the right moisture content for use, check the RH value of the installation site with a thermo-hygrometer, and then check the %MC of your wood flooring with a flooring moisture meter. Interaction between wood and air is one of those factors. Over time, moisture can get trapped between the moisture barrier protecting your hardwood flooring and the wood subfloor. As wood takes on moisture, it naturally expands. At this equilibrium moisture content (EMC), wood will stop absorbing or shedding moisture, which prevents some of the physical problems that can occur in wood flooring. Remove the warped plank3. If your hardwood or laminate floor buckling or … ambient humidity and temperature conditions, The fastest way to measure moisture in floors is to use a. . Understanding the effects moisture has on wood will help you keep your floors looking pristine throughout their lifetime. Mildew, mold and cloudy haze on your floor can be a warning sign of high moisture content; Wood Floor Cupping Prevention Measures . If the surroundings are hot and dry, then wood won’t be able to hold moisture for long. Wood is a hygroscopic material—meaning that it will gain or lose moisture until it reaches an equilibrium with its surroundings. Before you can ensure that your wood flooring is at an ideal moisture content, it’s important to check the relative humidity of the installation site and compare that to the %MC of your wood materials. To put it into perspective, the humidity levels in Florida frequently hover in the high 90% range while the humidity in Las Vegas can go as low as 18%. You should frequently look for mold under engineered hardwood floors, along with crawl spaces. The temperature of the installation environment can affect not only the rate of moisture absorption/depletion for wood, it can influence the relative humidity of the air (RH values are expressed as a percentage of how much moisture is in the air compared to how much it could hold at that temperature). The fastest way to measure moisture in floors is to use a moisture meter for wood. CHECK OUT DELMHORST'S PROSCAN PINLESS METER HERE. Pin meters use electrical resistance to measure the presence of moisture in wood flooring. Posted by Copyright © 2020 Delmhorst Instrument Co. What’s the Ideal Moisture Content for Wood Flooring? It’s the same as for us. Copyright © 2020 Delmhorst Instrument Co. What Are Safe Moisture Levels for Hardwood Floors? 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