Wood Floor Moisture Content

It is important to understand moisture content and its relation to the function of wood flooring.

Wood floor moisture content.

As the air s rh increases so does the moisture content of any wood exposed to the air. You should also measure the moisture content of the subfloor prior to installation. Measuring moisture in wood flooring the fastest way to measure moisture in floors is to use amoisture meter for wood. In its initial green state and ended up weighing only 20 lbs.

Of water was lost in the drying process. The higher the relative humidity the higher the mc of the wood. Wood moisture meters for flooring applications come in two varieties. When fully dried in an oven this means that a total of 30 lbs.

Above 90 rh or 20 wmc mold can grow on the wood. These devices can be used to test the moisture content mc of wood flooring in mere seconds. The national wood flooring association nwfa has a chart that indicates the moisture content of wood at any given combination of temperature and humidity. 2 when you re acclimating the floor.

Wood exposed to air with a rh of about 90 will reach a wood moisture content of about 20. See the moisture content of wood chart on page 66 which lists acceptable moisture contents for wood at certain temperatures and relative humidities. Moisture content weight of water ovendry weight of wood x 100 for instance suppose that a freshly sawn piece of eastern cottonwood populus deltoides weighed 50 lbs. The wood used in the flooring industry is usually dried to a moisture content between 6 9 percent which is representative of a level appropriate for interior use.

In most cases your installation will probably in a zone with rh values between 40 and 45. For example the meter may read 12 percent moisture content which is within the normal range for some regions but which is too high in drier lower humidity areas. Wood moisture content between 0 and about 28 is dependent upon the relative humidity rh of the air. Hardwood floors the maximum subfloor moisture level will be either 12 or 13 depending upon the manufacturer.

If you re installing a wood floor over a concrete slab you ll have to use a different moisture meter which is specifically formulated to measure moisture in concrete like the wagner rapid rh. However in some coastal areas the average rh is in the 58 to 63 range. The emc in the recommended temperature humidity range coincides with the 6 to 9 range used by most flooring manufacturers during the manufacturing and shipping process. 2 for plank 3 wide or more hardwood and 4 for strip 2 wide hardwood.