Last reviewed: 12 Sep 2021 Last published: 12 Sep 2021. Free Webinar The What, Why, and How of Wood Moisture Testing. They many times cite the need for further evaluations by what they call other so called experts. Hello I moved into my new home in June of 2018. A moisture content of less than 20% indicates that your joists and beams do not have the necessary moisture content for mold or fungus to survive. I would like to load eucalyptus and pine wood logs to India . Its hard to gauge anything off of a cheapo meter, but if and I mean if, we were to assume it was reading effectively, the numbers are too high. Copyright - RLC Engineering, LLC. Hi Larry, We are a joinery company and we have a project here in UAE which is located in another part of the emirates and the humidity in that area is very high especially during summer because it is near the coastal area. board will move twice as much as a 4-in. Your reading of 12.5% tells me it is workable. It will continue to absorb and release moisture until it comes into balance with the surrounding air. If youre wondering how wood can have a 200% moisture content, heres how that works. The purpose of the vapor barrier is to keep moisture away from materials that expand and contract. Such readings should alert the homeowner to look for a source of excess moisture. Under the floor. Great article, thanks for the info. Then placing his pin meter on the screws. I live in michigan (humid summer, long cold winter). This makes pinless moisture meters perfect for measuring the moisture content of things like expensive hardwood floors. Where are you located? I have seen home built in the dead of winter, covered in snow, and still dry out enough for a successful home build. I suspect the screws may be skewing the measurements. our question is do we need to replace the floor to avoid fungal problems? Why and how can I say this? At this home, cool objects include the air conditioning ductwork, the ground and the overlying wood floor system, which is exposed to very cool temperatures due to air conditioning duct leakage. Perhaps try to seal the vapor barrier better around the piers. The floor installer put the floors down without allowing the boards to acclimate. When determining the acceptable moisture levels in wood flooring before installation, the NWFA states that the flooring professional should establish a baseline for acclimation. A 212 joist of the same species and quality can span nearly 25'. Decay fungi need liquid water to grow. You will also see that the healthy wood moisture levels of 10% - 16% occur when the relative humidity is between 55% and 80% at 70 degrees. Once the wood samples weight stops changing, its weight is compared to what it was before the drying process began. Hello Folks, I am new to wood turning and do not have a ready supply of dry/seasoned (my wood is green) wood. This can be a problem once installed in furniture or a floor. The NWFA recommends testing wood subfloor moisture in at least 20 locations per 1,000 sq. The interior home conditions are, AC running at 68-70*F. Exterior wall condition 104*F as checked with an IR thermometer of East wall not in the sun. Floor joists support most of your home's weight and play a crucial role in structural integrity. These home inspectors are insecure and inexperienced. After reading your article and following comments, my question is : How much does the finish of a wood project for indoor use affect the moisture content? If there are quite small amounts of moisture in a wall of dense plaster or brick, then a meter will probably indicate over 20% or so and this will be in the 'red zone' or beeps and squeeks may happen. Moisture content of 11.5% for the oak is a little high for furniture grade hardwoods. Are the measurements of all wood the same? If a wooden sample has moisture content range of 2-6% only and if it has moisture content of 9 or 10% then what does this mean?? ie SW=Starting weight, TW=Target weight, using T%=Target percentage My calculation ( T% X SW = TW). From a strictly static MC%, 16-20% MC for long duration is going to promote mold growth. Understanding the effects moisture has on timber, as well as acceptable moisture levels in wood flooring, will keep your timber floor looking pristine throughout its lifetime. I understand that a home inspector expressed concern about fungal growth on the floor framing, so the buyer is concerned that the fungus needs to be removed/cleaned/mitigated from the joists. Is this dry enough that Id be able to reinstall the trim over the particleboard? As long as the moisture content does not exceed those readings you should be ok. The boards should be no wider than 6 inches and installed on a 45-degree angle. Headers, columns, and joists are rotting. When exposed to a constant RH, the moisture content of wood or lumber will come to equilibrium with its environment, resulting in an EMC for that species of a wood-based composite. It was such a good read. of water/day/1000 sq. These tools will give you the confidence that you have done everything on your part to ensure the highest quality in the piece you have built. They need to carry a moisture meter with them under houses and probe the floor joists to measure wood moisture content. These are slabs roughly 2 thick. Ceilings account for 35%, walls - 25% and windows 25%. Lower differential means slower heat loss. Having performed multiple (>500) soil moisture and density Sieve and Proctor, so I am well versed in moisture calculations (both add and subtract). Whats the Difference Between a Home Inspection and an Engineering Inspection? Request Answer. The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) has specific installation guidelines for wood flooring and how they relate to moisture content. Im trying to find specs on treated lumber for NC. Obviously, the ambient conditions within which the wood or paper is present can alter the MC% of the wood or paper. Soil is almost always damp. This is expensive and its ridiculous. P.O. Your email address will not be published. How long will it take to get to the ideal moisture reading and is it better to be stored in a garage or inside a house? These varying humidity levels of the surrounding air cause wood to not only gain or lose water moisture but to expand or shrink as well. Phil, what are you making with the cedar, and in what type of environment will it be? %PDF-1.5 % -ThA?> =v\0r5#v ,J\Byt)%*?I!PT`FdCE N a^1IMm[?x>7RFH +=\ I had a pin meter but found I had to put the pins in the ends or try to find an area that wouldnt be seen, so Im thinking a pinless might be better. Good luck. So we are seeking redress, but there are jacks present underneath the home which the home inspector didnt report either and didnt know if this was extra support for the water heater or what. The ASTM D4442 standard determines the accuracy of wood moisture meters. After you remove the old flooring, you'll need to ensure the subfloor is properly prepared before laying the new vinyl, hardwood or laminate flooring. You will however, need to become familiar with reading your local floor joist span tables for floor beams, floor joists, window and door lintels, ceiling joists, roof joists, roof rafters, and roof ridge beams, as well as the sizing and spacing of wood studs tables. I live on the fl coast so what should the moisture level be? 800-347-7260 Fax. During the summer months, when outdoor humidity is high, the hot/humid air enters the crawl space through the foundation vents and condenses on cool objects. In this case, what Built in # that I can use to measure flooring. This author has found decay fungi in floor joists at moisture levels of 20% to 25%. Hello, I am renovating my kitchen and installing hardwood floors. The conversion puts the adjusted MC between 9.5 -> 12%. Do you agree with this? Im planning on using some of it to build a new front door for the house and was wondering what MC I should be shooting for. It is also possible high moisture has entered the container during the trip to Europe. Would it still be 9% for pressure treated wood? Want this question answered? Lacquer will not make a reading difference as long as there are no metallic components in the lacquer itself. Should I wait for the slabs to be within that 6-9% to cut and glue? What is the acceptable water/moisture content in cassia bark?- in south east asia. All houses now use perimeter foundation so outside contact temperature stays at about 55 F all year. The fir windows and exterior doors will be affected by the the exterior and interior RH. I built the tables in west Texas, but their final home is in Colorado. It is also a good idea to use a moisture meter after the three weeks just to make sure. The National Association of Home Builders Green Home Building Guidelines for solid strip flooring and wide-width flooring are as follows: summary Wood flooring installers typically want the moisture content of their wood to be between 6% to 9%. Limit the length of notches to 1/3 of the joist's depth. The flooring pieces should be removed from the packaging to allow the ambient conditions to equalize the wood. Thank you for your very informative knowledge about all of the items on this page. When I purchase it its soaking wet and Ive always given it a few weeks, stickered and covered for at least 2 weeks, sometimes up to a month, to get it down to around 17-19%. Can carpet be reinstalled? I have an unusual question, if I was to sandwich recycled paper (similar to hardwood floor paper only heavier) between 2 layers of wood as a draft stop what should the moisture content be to avoid the paper absorbing any water and ending up with a mold issue thanks in advance for any info you can provide. The three main sources of moisture: Condensation, Foundation wall transfer, and leaks. I suggested replacing my dehumidifier (Sears brand, bucket collection) which has been inoperable this past year. Thanks for the question. With regard to mold growing on your furniture, I would have to defer you back to the shipping company as they have more experience dealing with these types of issues. Just across the threshold to a white oak floor installed in ~1914 and the MC is 15%->16%. This app will tell you the percent moisture content that a given temperature and humidity will equilibrate to. What You Should Know About Septic Systems, Interior Slab Foundation Settlement: Evaluations and Cost of Repair. My builder and flooring contractor asked for me to give the hardwoods a season to acclimate and they would surely move back together in june/july time frame. I cant speak for other pinless meters but our Wagner meters are not sensitive to the temperatures you indicated. Any moisture content measured higher than that might result in movement, such as warping and twisting, once it dries. can be insulated and heated (insulation is mandatory if heated) require careful planning and . Brick Veneer Homes: Are They Really Worth the Headache? Both slab-on-ground and suspended concrete floors for wet areas: are deemed impervious when steel trowel finished or polished. I live in upstate South Carolina. Do you think that heated floor actually help to dry or do they make things worse and more humid! Next, check the moisture of new floorboards. Its mc is 11- 12% . This is all very helpful information, thanks! Colorado is cold and dry. However, the ideal humidity range in some climates may be higher or lower. Ideally Ill wait until reaching final drying but sometimes I need to use wood before that point. Varying humidity levels can cause wood to lose or gain water and shrink or expand. Characteristic of this wood easy to absorb of water and have large open pore. . In the Midwest, the EMC of wood or lumber in Des Moines, Iowa, ranges from 12.4% to 14.9%. Why You Should Use Relative Humidity (RH) Testing, Flooring, Millwork, Furniture & Cabinet Manufacturers, How to Choose a Moisture Measurement System for Your Sawmill Buying Guide, Acceptable Moisture Levels in Wood Knowing the Moisture Content, Free Download 5 Ways Pinless Moisture Meters Save You Time and Money. Different wood? Is it possible to get a 99.9% moisture reading (using a Cassain GM-200 hydrometer) on a particle board floor which looks and feels completely dry? So, i had one installed a few weeks after we met. For wide-width solid flooring (3 or wider), there should be no more than a 2% difference in moisture content between properly acclimated wood flooring and subflooring materials. Most floor joists are single or double, and most often made with 2x6s or 2x8s. Perhaps there is something different about the East and West walls. I dont know what type of floor you have, but if it gets wet enough, about 25% moisture content or higher, mold can grow. If the wood is covered by a material like MDF or other, do we take 2x the measurements? If low WMC readings were obtained during the winter, and other signs of high moisture levels are present, obtain additional readings during the summer. Standard moisture contents for hardwoods are 6% 9% MC. My question is microwaving twice turned bowls what would be the general rule of thumb for a target by weight. There are joists that display splitting. We have industrial fans going 24/7 to try and dry out the room and also have a dehumidifier running, Ive had the heated floor running in hopes that it could help dry any of the wet wood directly below. That is way beyond fibre-saturation. If so, then you'll want to know. The pins are pressed into the wood to obtain a reading. A termite repair company (also licensed contractors) told me that I needed to replace the planks on my second story deck. This chart highlights the ideal levels of moisture in wood at various temperatures and relative humidity (RH) levels: In this chart, you can see a small highlighted section. Although some movement can be expected between 6% and 9%, wood flooring can shrink or swell more dramatically outside this range. This is for furniture-grade hardwoods. Learn how your comment data is processed. moisture will typically measure 7-10%. Furniture grade wood is typically dried to a target of 6%-9%. With the WoodH2O-app I could deduct the EMC for The Netherlands would be between 15 and 16. hello I been getting very sick in my home so I had my manger do a mold and moisture test which came back high level of moisture levels which a contractor wants to take the sub floor up and 2 to 4 inches of the wall but my apartment manger is not releasing to report and hes is saying the spore test didnt pick up any mold spore question is it safe for me and my family to be in the home with high level of moisture in the restroom which the floor have been really soft for over 9 months now as well as the kids bedroom where a pipe burst. You wrote that 15% humidity may induce mold? This must be done before attempting to dry out the wood. Here's a good rule of thumb: Notches should be no deeper than 1/6 the depth of the joist. Summers are hot and dry while winters can be cool. They are now saying that they will replace whatever boards are bad and resand and finish the floors, however Im concerned that there is an underlying issue that will resurface here? I had a water leak under my crawl space which has 3 inches of foam insulation applied to the underside of the sub floor. I installed a sump pump and 6 mil vapor barrier, but the barrier is not sealed around piers and the ground is moist under the barrier all year. Specifically in the first 3-4 on one side of the door is 11%, then drops to ~8%. It does the same for wood, and is especially hard on softwoods, such as pine or fir. The house was not in the flood area however they did receive 20 inches of rain. My last Wagner was appropriated by the individual who appropriated other tools out of my old sho. Most are reading are between 13-15%. 1. in Indonesia there are a lot of raw materials consisting of natural fibers, such as: pandanus, water hyacinth, rattan etc. Too wet and you get fuzzing. Its not growing or feeding on the wood. After all, the wall is in contact with damp soil. In other words, the water weighs more than the wood fibers. Do you have any recommendations on how to prevent mold from getting on the wood? 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Box 1437 Insert the pins into the surface of the wood you want to test. For most areas of the United States, acceptable moisture levels of wood and lumber can be in the range of 9% to 14% for exterior wood or for building envelope components within constructed assemblies. Additional care is necessary if laying parallel to the joists and sheet subfloors can sag between the joist. Simple and regular maintenance can prevent serious problems developing. Will your meters work to find MC levels for composites? Yes, our moisture meters read MDF. We found the problem and the leak was resolve quickly! In March of this year I had new white oak 2 flooring installed. The engineered wood floor appears ok. Should it be less? The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) has a chart that indicates the moisture content of wood at any given combination of temperature and humidity. The boards have dried nicely so far with minimal warpage or checking. Thanks Mark, The EMC outside and the wood should be the same. Furniture maker Lonnie Bird weighs in, I dont want the wood to shrink after I use it because the wood will warp or split.. the concrete was completely dry, no standing water. Just press the scanning plate against the woods surface, turn on the meter, and receive the reading. Concrete floors. We also ship to other European countries, for dryer country like Spain the EMC could be between 12 and 14. could you please guide or on how much should be the Expected Humidity % in high Humid areas like UAE considering these are mostly for Indoor purpose where ACs are on 247 at say 24 Degrees. Thanks. The moisture content of freshly cut wood is typically somewhere between 40-200%. Thank you. endstream endobj 80 0 obj <>stream Thank you. We have had on/off rain and humidity 80-90% range. Based on common guidelines or recommendations, the acceptable moisture levels for wood are as follows: Keep in mind that a woods acceptable moisture level will depend primarily on how it will be finally used and the average RH where it will be finally used. Seattles EMC ranges from 12.2% to 16.5%. Before installing plywood underlayment, ensure that the existing flooring is thoroughly vacuumed, free from debris, and stripped of wax. Wood is hygroscopic. Set the meter to the species that makes up the bulk, in this case, the plywood. Whether youre a woodworker making cabinets, a wood flooring professional installing hardwood floors, or if you use wood in construction, wood moisture content (MC) should be always on your mind. Hi Larry, thanks for the great knowledge sharing. During the increased average temperatures of spring and summer, timber moisture content reduces to more acceptable levels. Thank you. Remove Moisture From The Air - If your crawl space has a lot of ventilation, you should be able to set up a large fan in the opening of the crawl space and leave it to run for 10 to 12 hours. somewhere. to keep the moisture content below 20 percent. Sorry that this is so long-winded and I thank you in advance if you are willing to address this question for me. 541-679-2612 www.Roseburg.com. One of the beauties of spar is that it allows the wood to move quite a bit, while still retaining good adhesion. I am shipping teakwood furniture from Indonesia to California. And it really helps to pay an HVAC contractor to better seal and insulate the A/C ducts so they dont leak cold air!!! Thanks for the the information, very detailed and useful. i used my dremel with a shaping bit about 1/8 in to cut vertical slits or vents about an inch deep and a couple of inches tall into the bottom 24 and have kept a commercial floor blower on the wood several hours a day for more than a week yet, the number is not going down. we are getting hardwoods from our Uk Suppliers and accoya coming in at 2% and once we use the timber we are reading 0% we have tested the reader and its accurate even joinery grade sapele wood and Tulip wood coming in at 0% we cover these in 3 coats of sikkens paint and sometimes we get jobs where we are having to go back as our joinery is moving and we are guessing its because of these moisture levels and had never checked previously. This should be stuck into your wooden subfloor. Wood Rot in Crawl Spaces: Whats That Smell in My House. Moisture content (MC) in raw slabs can take additional time to reach its Equilibrium Moisture Content. We are checking moisture levels in several areas each day. for a mere $4900. If the MC of plywood is above 20%, can it be redried in a kiln or would that harm the glue? . I have removed the 1 3/4 edge and resawn to take out the splinter (1/4) re bicuited . This means the weight of the water exceeds the weight of the wood by itself. The builder's warranty representative came out and measured the moisture levels with a moisture meter. I purchased my newly built home that has to meet all the new energy efficient standards and will be 2 years old this coming month. During the summer, moisture content readings above . About 5/16 penetration into the wood measures 8% using pins only. The levels were between 20 and 23%. My house was built in 1927. the curb is built with 3 2/4s stacked on each other. In your blog I read that furniture for outdoor is dried to a MC between 9 and 14%. In your area, wood that has been in an environment to a duration of time would be between 6-11%. my question is, is there a possibility that the wood will shrink because of the weather condition?the wood that we used for the door frames and bidding is beechwood. Grain orientation matters Treated wood is typically still wet when its delivered to the job site. with the spring thaw, i was one of the lucky ones that got water in my basement. Production, storage, delivery and construction and in-use conditions that will prevent exposure to external or internal moisture or conditions that would allow the moisture content to exceed 18% at any time: Untreated Douglas fir: Framing in a low-risk building and meeting the requirements of B2/AS1 paragraph 3.2.2.2: Where there is a risk of . If the wood would really arrive with a MC of 14%, we would not have any problems. For more information, see our article comparing Pinless Moisture Meters vs. Pin Meters. board, and a 12-in. To the right, 13.2% in the same distance and also drops to ~ 8% after. It gains or loses water moisture as the relative humidity (RH) of the surrounding air changes. When wood is subjected to an environment that is higher in humidity, it will swell or expand.