Moisture Testing Concrete For Wood Floors

To determine if your hardwood floors need to be acclimated you can use a wood floor moisture test.

Moisture testing concrete for wood floors.

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. Testing with either method will tell you how precisely how much moisture is present making it possible to choose a surface flooring that is appropriate. The desired moisture content of your gypsum should be less than 1 mc. A definitive test that measures the amount of moisture released from the concrete requires a calcium chloride kit or a relative humidity meter.

In earlier days trees were often used for flooring from surrounding forests. Ideally it should be between 7 and 9. Reputable builders understand the value of using a proven moisture test for concrete slabs and an accurate wood moisture meter for hardwood flooring applications. Unlike fifty years ago hardwood flooring comes from different parts of the country or with exotics the world.

Wood subfloors are actually easy to check for moisture content just test for moisture at several locations in the room and average the results fig. It s important to understand the testing process on concrete subfloors and the implications of moisture on flooring performance in order to plan project timelines and budgets accordingly and to. 1 in most regions of the country a dry wood subfloor that is ready to work has a moisture content of 12 percent or less or down to about 6 in states with low rh relative humidity. 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.

Pin meters use electrical resistance to measure the presence of moisture in wood flooring. These devices can be used to test the moisture content mc of wood flooring in mere seconds. Testing wood subfloors. First test the moisture level of the subfloor.

Wood moisture meters for flooring applications come in two varieties. Taking a moment to test gyp crete with a moisture meter can help avoid problems associated with building on the underlayment before it s ready. In general 12 moisture or above is too wet to install flooring. Flooring of the time adjusted to the regions average moisture content.

Concrete must always contain some moisture but it cannot be an excessive amount. The concrete wood combination can be both beautiful and lasting once moisture issues are addressed and managed. Before you lay the first plank you must ensure that the moisture level in the concrete subfloor is low enough that it will not affect your flooring. Therefore it s advisable to have a floor tested for moisture content prior to installing flooring or moisture barriers.