Temperature versus humidity

Monday, November 1st, 2010

A majority of people in the construction industry will tell you that moisture is a huge problem for wood flooring and they are right. Excessive moisture is certainly an issue. The hidden factor most people often do not realize is massive temperature swings in a floor. This is most prevalent in remodeling projects. Here’s a sequential scenario of how a problem may arise:

1. Flooring is installed at appropriate moisture content in relation to subfloor
2. Remodeler and homeowner both agree to cut costs and maintain heat at 55 degrees F during that time the flooring is installed.
3. Hardwood flooring is sanded and finished.
4. Remodel is completed and homeowner moves in and turns up heat in the house to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Newly finished floor cups from excessive moisture

WHY?

Warmer air has a much greater potential for holding moisture (relative humidity). I won’t go into extreme detail other than to point to this article by Craig DeWitt Ph.D in Hardwood Floors magazine. I have observed this phenomenon personally on a couple of remodel projects done by other flooring contractors. Both installations were done in the middle of winter also.

If you are remodeling, please don’t skimp on the heating bill or you will have more costly issues later.

Tags: hardwood floor contractor, Hardwood floor Portland, wood floor acclimation
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Acclimation….How Long?

Sunday, March 8th, 2009

If there has ever been one wood flooring question with a great deal of answers, it is: “How long should I acclimate the flooring?” I’ve heard everything from overnight to 2 weeks. The truth is that you want the flooring to be acclimated to the point where it will no longer lose or gain moisture while being acclimated within the area of installation. Sometimes wood flooring is within a moisture content that is compatible with the sub-floor as soon as it arrives at the jobsite. Other times, it may take 2-4 weeks for the wood to be at an acceptable moisture level. Two driving factors affecting these numbers are how well the HVAC system is working and what species of wood is to be installed.

A few things to keep in mind:
1) Wood flooring should NEVER be acclimated within the garage of your home.
2) Never install or acclimate your flooring at a temperature that is less than 5 degrees of where you keep the interior temperature of your home.
3) If your flooring is strip flooring, then the subfloor and wood flooring must have moisture levels that vary by no greater than 4%. This number should be less for wider flooring.

These suggestions are for solid hardwood flooring. Flooring materials such as engineered and laminate flooring do not apply to these rules. E-mail us with further questions.

Tags: hardwood floor contractor, Hardwood floor Portland, wood floor acclimation
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