Ideal Moisture Content For Wood Flooring

Some woods naturally have more extreme moisture contents ranging from 4 to 18 but oak floors are generally in the 6 to 9 range.

Ideal moisture content for wood flooring.

Wood moisture meters are used in inspections to determine the current presence of moisture. We talked about taking moisture readings. To help our firewood to dry out and reach 20 moisture content as quickly as possible we ensure that. Please note showroom visits are now by appointment only.

See the moisture content of wood chart on page 66 which lists acceptable moisture contents for wood at certain temperatures and relative humidities. And how does moisture content affect the stability of your timber floor. The ideal moisture content for wood flooring can change depending on a number of factors such as the temperature and humidity at the installation site. These devices can be used to test the moisture content mc of wood flooring in mere seconds.

Household hardwood floors should have a moisture content between 6 and 9 but the percentage will be affected by the type of wood the weight of the wood and many other factors. Generally moisture content or mc is a measure of the amount of water or water vapours within a given substance. What is the ideal moisture content for wood flooring in the uk. In the flooring industry it is the weight of the water contained in the wood compared to a sample of the same species dried at a specific temperature for a certain amount of time.

Wood moisture meters are used to determine proper acclimation by measuring the wood flooring and the subflooring. Step 2 is documenting your readings. Water and wood how moisture affects wood flooring. Ideally you re looking for the moisture content of your subfloor to be 2 or less.

For instance you take your readings prior to installing a hardwood floor and the subfloor moisture content is 10 and the strip hardwood was at 7. If your subfloor is concrete and recently laid you re likely to face more of a challenge when it comes to moisture. Ideally you should aim to have a reading of somewhere between 35 and 40 humidity air or 2 3 moisture content before laying your new floor. Measuring moisture in wood flooring.

The fastest way to measure moisture in floors is to use a moisture meter for wood. These meters are also used to determine if wood subfloors and wood boards are dry or wet. Wood moisture meters for flooring applications come in two varieties. The wood is placed on a dry platform or raised up off any moist ground to help prevent water from seeping back up into the lower layers of the log stack.

More information is available in the nwfa s technical manual a100.