Next, check the moisture of new floorboards. The table had a 1 3/4 X 3 1/2 thick boarder with mitred corners and biscuited. Readings can be elevated if there is a stud directly behind the sheetrock. What is the optimal MC of the fir stock for construction of the windows? This pinless meter is accurate, Ive got 2 other pin moisture meters and all 3 of them read within only 1-3% difference as checked on wood structures. Im in Milwaukee, wi if that matters. The house was not in the flood area however they did receive 20 inches of rain. First time this has happened (splitting that is). Therefore, just because the wood is kiln-dried doesnt mean it has lost the ability to absorb moisture. So the question is are those burrs or fuzzing on the edges?, Wed love to have you give us a call to discuss which moisture meter is best for you. 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%. board, and a 12-in. And it really helps to pay an HVAC contractor to better seal and insulate the A/C ducts so they dont leak cold air!!! 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. the curb is built with 3 2/4s stacked on each other. This can be a problem once installed in furniture or a floor. Thank you so much for your time and expertise. They delivered the wood one day, and began to stain and install it over the next two days, finishing on the 6th day. I live in Charlotte, NC. What is a Proper Structural Engineering Inspection? As this moisture condenses on the floor system, it wets the wood. But this wetness is only surficial. On truss/joist spacing of 16" (406mm) o/c or less, the industry standard for single- panel subflooring is nominal 5/8" (19/32", 15.1 mm) CD Exposure 1 Plywood subfloor panels ( CD Exposure 1) or 23/32" OSB Exposure 1 subfloor panels, 4' x 8' sheets. Generally the entire floor is dry. Your cost could be more or less, depending on the size of the floor area. 2. You can now understand the meaning of moisture content 5.5%, 15 g/m2/24 hours, and relative humidity 75% with these facts. As stated, fungal spores are beneath the home because they are in the air we breathe-the same air that gets circulated beneath the home. (864) 506-4701, South Carolina Residential Construction Standards, http://www.rlcengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/RLC-Engineering-1.png. 800-634-9961, or email sales@wagnermeters.com. The acceptable moisture levels in a crawl space are between 30% and 50%, with under 55% being the ideal. However, it First, test the moisture level of the subfloor. You are correct, furniture grade hardwood is typically dried between 6 to 9%. Hello, Paul here. To the right, 13.2% in the same distance and also drops to ~ 8% after. 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. Great article! Knowing were all the piers are, I can stand on top and feel a small hump in the floors. (EMC) than other pieces of wood, depending on its location. Very educational! However, the wood species and the thickness or size of the wood may also factor in. If you know such International or Amercan or any other standard please let me know. Hi Larry, thanks for the great knowledge sharing. 25-30 - Actual, and often extensive, damage is evident when readings reach this level. I requested the treated lumber be brought in a few weeks prior to build, stickered and put under cover to acclimate and dry it. 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. There is no balancing layer on the reverse of the panels which might obstrust breathing of the panel. Wall Corners-Perpendicular within 1/4" in 10'. All Rights Reserved. We found out that RH at the final location was under 20%. Very simple and understandable. The builder's warranty representative came out and measured the moisture levels with a moisture meter. 2. Surface molds may develop. I am planning an under-house excursion tomorrow. I am having a section of our 3.25 Maple hardwood floor replaced. 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. Box 1437 I am shipping teakwood furniture from Indonesia to California. Your reading of 12.5% tells me it is workable. Im hoping this should work. So what do you think is the ideal moisture% I should dry them to before rotary polishing them? Both times, the tables were flawless, but after 2-3 weeks in their new home both table tops had major crack issues. How would be the best way to prevent mold from growing on the furniture. Hi and good day , I would like to find out what r the right temperature readings for workable wood slabs in South Africa specially Matumi wood slabs. There is only so much moisture a piece of wood can give up, over time, before a failure occurs. I live on the fl coast so what should the moisture level be? Below a 17% MC of wood, virtually no microbial growth will occur on even the most susceptible materials. Working with some slabs of spruce. We just had a hydrometer installed in the crawlspace and it is reading 38% as of today. I think mine is +-3% Is it possible being near the door just means greater humidity and there isnt actually a leak? Thanks for the question. During the increased average temperatures of spring and summer, timber moisture content reduces to more acceptable levels. Wood freshly cut or kiln-dried is always interacting with environmental moisture. In an air conditioned house the wood floor. 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. You can use our free APP called WoodH2O to help you decide on the best moisture content. Lay the panels perpendicular to floor joists, allowing 1/4 inch of space between panels and the wall. Want this question answered? Floor joists come in dimensional lumber lengths from 8 to 16 feet or more. I have come across this and havent made the purchase from my friend because I am not sure about the warp or breaking it will come. However, kiln drying is used to speed up the process. In your blog I read that furniture for outdoor is dried to a MC between 9 and 14%. Thank you for the information, I use a lot of trimmed for for children toys, menu times I use rings of 1-3 inch in diameter, For these purposes I dont care for wood shrinkage or wraping, Two things are important for me that wood will not crack, and that mold wont develop. The cause that may produce this will be discussed in the section "Biodeteration of flood". Colorado is cold and dry. Retain this information with your records. Lets go over the basics of each, Oven dry testing is the oldest method for measuring the moisture content of wood. The door is NE facing and protected from direct Sun light and rain by a porch roof. Grain orientation matters The shipping time is approximately 45 day in a 40 container to the west coast . It is not fair to ask the seller of this home to pay some pest control firm to spray Borate on the floor system. ( 55 days transit by sea) What should be the moisture content while loading in Containers? I would have thought that if the floor gave a 99.9% water saturation reading, it would have had to have been noticeably wet. : Mold & Fungus In the Crawlspace. The floor installer put the floors down without allowing the boards to acclimate. Hello Brian, I am a moisture meter expert, not a woodworking expert but from your description, the problem points to the conditions, not the wood or joinery. Required fields are marked *. 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. For example, if the expected EMC ranges from a low of 6% to a high of 9%, the baseline moisture content of the wood would be 7.5%. The electrical current will then move from pin to pin and measure the resistance encountered. They are in an unheated and currently very cold barn The moisture ranges from 11% -16% according to my meter. I live in michigan (humid summer, long cold winter). This weight difference is then used to calculate the woods original moisture content. i also drilled into the wood every few inches, several inches deep with a typical drill bit. Is this dry enough that Id be able to reinstall the trim over the particleboard? 1. in Indonesia there are a lot of raw materials consisting of natural fibers, such as: pandanus, water hyacinth, rattan etc. The moisture content of wooden substructure members is routinely being disclosed in the closing process of real estate transactions. The process is time-consuming but produces accurate results if followed correctly. We will be building fir windows. But when you touch the pins to the embedded screws, you get between 14 and 24 % in various areas of the board. Both slab-on-ground and suspended concrete floors for wet areas: are deemed impervious when steel trowel finished or polished. This is a perfectly normal moisture content and one that will not support fungal growth. Live in Tn. A 10% moisture content reading means that 10% of a wood samples weight is due to water in the wood. It is impossible for me to tell you what the percentage of furniture should be, but if you know the EMC in the area it will be kept, you can check the MC continuously until you reach its EMC. Yes, the wood can still be read for MC with a stain on it. Timber framing needs to be dried to acceptable moisture content levels as stipulated in NZS 3602:2003 Timber and wood-based products for use in building. Any time water can be absorbed into a material such as wood, drywall etc, its always a good idea to check for excessive moisture, especially if you suspect a leak. . Chris. Moisture content of 11.5% for the oak is a little high for furniture grade hardwoods. for a mere $4900. Thanks Phil. As a general guideline, an emission rate of 1.4 kg/100m (3 lbs/1000 ft) or less is considered acceptable for most floor coverings. The containers that we have received so far have arrived wet and mouldy. These home inspectors are insecure and inexperienced. I strongly recommend using a moisture meter, along with a thermo-hygrometer, or even a smart logger before you start building, to ensure the wood is at an optimal moisture content in an environment that has an acceptable relative humidity and temperature range. Im not sure which part of Europe you are from, but typically the Indonesian climate is very humid compared to other parts of the world. How Timber Reacts To Moisture. Seattles EMC ranges from 12.2% to 16.5%. Even with lower temperatures, the ideal range for wood keeps relative humidity between 55% and 75%. Thanks for the article, really appreciate the info! The ASTM D4442 standard determines the accuracy of wood moisture meters. A floor joist is a horizontal beam, usually made of wood, that is used to support and enclose the flooring above a foundation. You wrote that 15% humidity may induce mold? The best way to do this is to use an accurate moisture meter. In all cases, determining the acceptable moisture level of wood requires the use of an extremely accurate moisture meter. "Mold requires moisture to survive, so protecting lumber and wood structures from moisture will prevent mold growth. For a wooden subfloor you will need to use a 2-pronged moisture meter. -ThA?> =v\0r5#v ,J\Byt)%*?I!PT`FdCE N a^1IMm[?x>7RFH +=\ A moisture content reading of 25% is borderline to support mold. Any thoughts as to what the issue was with the first install so we dont have the same issue again next year after we go through a new install? (Itd effectively seal the cavity under the vanity, so once the trim is back on, i dont think itll dry out much more.) Can I get a away with this? Ive been following your in depth blog on moisture meters for around 1 year now. Any suggestions to this being possible to correct? I was able to get the MC down to 15%. The Las Vegas EMC of wood or lumber ranges from 4.0% to 8.5%. I would love to be able to give you the perfect answer but unfortunately, there isnt one. Although some movement can be expected between 6% and 9%, wood flooring can shrink or swell more dramatically outside this range. When it comes to the moisture content of plywood or dimensional lumber, an MC of 17% to 19% reduces the overall strength of plywood, and an MC of 20% or more reduces the strength of dimensional lumber (i.e., lumber cut to certain predefined sizes, such as 2x4s). Since the cold weather has come on, the organic growth has gone dormant, but a contractor noticed joists with distinctive moisture content where there are definitive separations between dry and wet looking wood. The wood and varnish appear otherwise pristine, uncracked and not bubbled or clouded in any way. 2-1/4", the moisture content between the flooring planks and the subfloor should not exceed 2%. Because wood shrinks and warps as it dries, woodworkers want it to be pre-shrunk before they use it. Do NOT install the flooring planks until these moisture content levels are achieved. Divide that difference by the sum of the on-center spacing of the floor joists: 118.5" / 16" = 7.40625. Should I remove more foam to be sure. summary Wood must always be allowed to acclimate or come into balance with the RH of the end-use location. Moisture contents of 12 to 17% is ok. You dont want to see any subfloor reach about 25% which is where mold will start to grow. What humidity content should cedar be at for proper gluing. Thank you, In wood products manufacturing, 6-8% is pretty much the norm, at least in North America. Wood is hygroscopic. Add 1 to this value and round up the answer to the next whole number: 7.40625 + 1 = 8.40625 9 floor joists. . Treated wood is typically still wet when its delivered to the job site. We are manufacturer of eng wood flooring. Screwed 2x4s parallel into the joists as added support. I am not sure if this is pressure treated wood given its an exterior wall and if that affects what these numbers are. 20% 28% Readings in this range indicate that conditions are border-line for decay. There are areas where organic growth was very active to cause deep, black discolorization. They were installed over existing plywood subfloor. Subfloor material such as plywood or OSB should measure between 10 and 14% moisture content. Additional care is necessary if laying parallel to the joists and sheet subfloors can sag between the joist. Be sure to acclimate the wood to desired EMC of the interior environment before you use it. The excess moisture source must be immediately corrected, and the situation carefully monitored until the WMC returns to the 12-16 range. Hello Enjoyed the article. . With a Wagner L606, I am getting MC readings 12%->15.5% . Any suggestions .thanks. Which do you recommend? Floors-1/2" in 12' or 3/16" in 4'. In contrast, Las Vegas in the drier Southwest has much lower EMC percentages than most other U.S. cities. The wood sample being tested is dried in a special oven or kiln and its weight periodically checked. 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. Pin-type meters use penetrating electrodes and measure the woods moisture content using electrical resistance. A Brick Veneer Crack Tragedy: A True Story, Spraying for Mold on Floor Joists: Pest Control. The sink vanity is made from typical laminated particle board, and Ive been trying to dry it in place using a dehumidifier and sealing the area off. 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. 2. The joist span tables start with 26 lumber and it goes all the way up to 212. If the humidity is a constant 76% then the wood will equilibrate between 14 and 15% moisture content. Sorry that this is so long-winded and I thank you in advance if you are willing to address this question for me. This pin-type moisture meter is one of Delmhorst's most popular models. With a concrete subfloor you should use a digital hygrometer, which needs to be left in place for at least 24 hours. Im still not sure that whatever they do will produce a good, long-term result, but I need to know what they should be doing to the wood. If he is using a high-quality product from companies such as Delmhorst, they provide a slide hammer pin attachment, and they need to use insulated-shaft pins. I suggested replacing my dehumidifier (Sears brand, bucket collection) which has been inoperable this past year. Use a wet/dry shop vacuum, sump pump, or rags to clean up standing water or excess moisture from the floor and from the surface of the wood. Sometimes moving the air around is enough to remove moisture and dry surfaces. 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. The inspector said his meter reading taken from my basement on subflooring/joists/framing was too high. We found the problem and the leak was resolve quickly! Would you be able to say anything about the optimal MC range for this specific situation? If an interior location has an average RH of 40-52%, wood placed there will have an average EMC of 8-9%. Once the summer cooling season ends, and the A/C is shut off, and the outside air cools, and the humidity drops significantly, the cool dry air now flowing beneath the home dries out the floor joists. Joist spans may not be on the minds of most do-it-yourselfers, but joist spans are everywhere: above our heads in the ceiling joists and below our feet as flooring joists.

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