Moisture Testing Wood Floors

When in doubt check the moisture content of other properly conditioned wood materials 2x4s newel posts wood beams etc within the structure to get an idea of where the emc is in comparison to where it should be and then compare this value with the emc chart as a baseline for testing the subfloor.

Moisture testing wood floors. Avoid these mistakes when moisture testing wood floors. As great as this process is at establishing mc by water weight wood that has been over dried may not be useable for your original purpose because of the deformations that can occur. Three methods for testing concrete moisture levels. Before you lay the first plank you must ensure that the moisture level in the concrete subfloor is low enough that it will not.

Flooring installers must know the moisture content of the wood flooring as well as the subfloor. Pinless meters tend to be the fastest for checking large amounts of wood flooring while pin type wood moisture meters tend to be better at pinpointing the depth of a moisture pocket in wood. Concrete slabs and floors can be excellent subfloor surfaces for tile and other floor coverings but too much moisture in the concrete can cause problems with flooring installations. Installers can quickly assess the surface mc of subfloor integrity with a concrete moisture meter or building inspection meter to find potential trouble spots in existing slabs although newly poured slabs would do better with a thorough.

Every year the vast majority of calls made to the national wood flooring association s technical hotline are due to moisture related problems such as warping cupping cracking. First use the wagner meter to test the moisture level of your subfloor. Our preferred model of moisture meter is the wagner mmc220 which is a handheld device that can measure moisture in all species of wood. When you install hardwood laminate or vinyl flooring over a concrete subfloor one of the most important steps to take to ensure the lasting beauty and stability of your floors is moisture testing.

The most accurate measurement for moisture content in wood is the oven bake out. The best way to check the moisture level of your subfloor and floorboards is to buy rent or borrow a moisture meter. Therefore it s advisable to have a floor tested for moisture content prior to installing flooring or moisture barriers. Overall most people prefer to use pinless moisture meters like the proscan for testing hardwood floors because they can test moisture in wood without.

Renders tested wood unusable in many instances. Details michelle desnoyer september 30th 2006 published as measuring moisture in october november 2006 issue. Determining moisture content is an essential part of quality control within the flooring installation process. Moisture meter technology makes for precise and efficient moisture measurement in wood and concrete.

Moisture can cause organic flooring materials such as solid hardwood engineered wood cork or bamboo to degrade or rot.