Test Moisture Content Of Wood For Hardwood Floors

If any of these warning signs are present the wood floor should be checked with a wood moisture meter as soon as possible.

Test moisture content of wood for hardwood floors.

Splotches of darker wood can be an indication that there is moisture in the wood. The normal moisture content of wood or emc varies from 7 19 depending on the rh in the air. A good rule of thumb is that the subfloor moisture content should be within 3 4 percentage points of the flooring to be installed before proceeding. The determination of moisture content is an essential part of quality control within the flooring installation process.

First the meter has a broad moisture detection range in wood from 5 to 60. Because wood is an insulator and water is a conductor. In many types of hardwood flooring excess moisture can cause the wood to appear slightly darker than it should be. For woodworkers who build cabinets fine furniture musical instruments dishes toys decorative art boat restoration or various other wood products the acceptable wood moisture content normally ranges from 6 to 8.

In most cases your installation will probably in a zone with rh values between 40 and 45. 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. Flooring specialists should test several areas of a wood subfloor to be certain conditions are acceptable for the final flooring installation. The most accurate measurement for moisture content in wood is the oven bake out method.

At the time of installation as the installer you should know the moisture content of the wood flooring the moisture condition of the substrate and the ambient conditions in the space. Flooring installers must know the moisture content of the wood flooring as well as the subfloor. Determining moisture content is an essential part of quality control within the flooring installation process. Pin meters use electrical resistance to measure the presence of moisture in wood flooring.

Pinless meters use electromagnetic radio frequencies to scan hardwood floors to a fixed depth. This test has two methods described in astm d4442 method a and method b the primary scientific test and the secondary method respectively. 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. This helps you know whether wood is too wet or dry and by how much.

Measuring moisture in wood flooring. The rdm 3 is a wood moisture meterwith a bevy of special functions built in for the professional flooring installer. Hardwood floors are typically milled at about 6 7 percent moisture and they can get up to 10 percent without significantly changing form.