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Both slab-on-ground and suspended concrete floors for wet areas: are deemed impervious when steel trowel finished or polished. We will be building fir windows. Hi, we live in a coastal area, had a recent water leak, and a hard wood floor MC is measuring about 25% the water did not contact this area directly. Here current humidity is 76%. All Rights Reserved. Once the wood samples weight stops changing, its weight is compared to what it was before the drying process began. What would be the recommended MC for doors of my new building(under construction)? The wood joists are not soaked wet, its just a light film of moisture on the wood members. Well, tile, bricks, and stones are known to have a low water-holding capacity and therefore should be dry. A subfloor needs to be clean, dry, level and structurally sound. Repair is often required when WMC readings are in this range. In March of this year I had new white oak 2 flooring installed. (864) 506-4701, South Carolina Residential Construction Standards, http://www.rlcengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/RLC-Engineering-1.png. If you know such International or Amercan or any other standard please let me know. The other question is what should the moisture content be on treated lumber that will be for the framing of the deck? Second, would the same pine slab, would it be okay to use for a side table or Kitchen island. As the humidity decreases, the MC decreases, causing the wood to shrink. Your ideal MC will also depend on the outdoor humidity levels. moisture will typically measure 7-10%. During the summer months in the northeast region, wood subfloors and floor joists often measure 19. This can be a problem once installed in furniture or a floor. Perhaps there is something different about the East and West walls. Moisture was around 25% when milled, and the ends were sealed. Drying teak hardwood from a humid climate, for use outdoors in a much drier European climate? The plumber said that the floor has an elevated moisture reading and took a photo showing the 99.9% (maximum reading) on the meter while the meter was on the floor. 9Chrv;plt[nh%:fOl8e^5e cM(?=6?y8{6uZkpz[TgLXD9feUm.L;l7:5C:hf=tE&U[&8 ^ wu*Vz*##;PKk? Even with lower temperatures, the ideal range for wood keeps relative humidity between 55% and 75%. Thats a big difference. Does that seem normal. I suspect the moisture was the culprit? Different joinery (currently using pocket holes)? h_k0 r ?c|@+wpF=M^r? ( BzPxgA9P{j]s 3r\WQu\@U.Jy'h{>dccy. 10 14% moisture content is too high. For a wooden subfloor you will need to use a 2-pronged moisture meter. He asked if I could double-check the findings of another home inspection company that requested expert advice on some mold/fungus they found in the crawl space of the home. As with any wood product, the environment where the finished product will Live will determine the correct moisture content. When the wood neither gains nor loses moisture, we say that the wood has reached its equilibrium moisture content (EMC). Want this question answered? Call JADE today for a crawlspace inspection and we can give you definitive answers to your crawl space problems! About 5/16 penetration into the wood measures 8% using pins only. Substrates must be protected by: 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. According to Dr. Eugene Wengert, professor and specialist in wood processing at the University of Wisconsin-Madisons Department of Forestry, wood should be dried to a water MC thats within two percentage points of the EMC where the wood is going to be used. I am having a section of our 3.25 Maple hardwood floor replaced. Furniture maker Lonnie Bird weighs in, I dont want the wood to shrink after I use it because the wood will warp or split.. Thanks Phil. Crawl Space Inspections: Once a Year Keeps the Contractors Away! In your area, wood that has been in an environment to a duration of time would be between 6-11%. Im down to ~13-19% MC near floor level, based on a cheapo moisture meters readings. How to test moisture /water content in cassia bark? the curb is built with 3 2/4s stacked on each other. There was a board that cracked along a glue line. We found out that RH at the final location was under 20%. I am not aware of a standard moisture content for packaging food or any other product. Hi Davetta, Youll need to contact a local mold inspection company that is certified. First time this has happened (splitting that is). Elaine. All that needs to be done at this home is to close-up the foundation vents during every air conditioning season and make sure the ground cover vapor barrier is spread completely over the underlying ground surface. Hello I moved into my new home in June of 2018. Here is a link to our new line of meters: https://www.wagnermeters.com/moisture-meters/. Prior to the flooring installation, make sure your subfloor has not experienced leaks or other water damage. The excess moisture source should be corrected if found. As a result, the normal moisture meter reading for these materials in between 0.5% and 1%. How Timber Reacts To Moisture. As a general rule, with geographic exceptions, wood flooring performs best when the interior environment is controlled to stay within an RH range of 30% to 50% and a temperature range of 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Larry: I recently had my annual termite inspection. Timber logs & Lumber into India company remained actively involved in harvesting and sale of Hardwood logs of Indian origin. I want to use it to build a table and will be moving it to the location where I will work on it shortly. hj0Ed=h].J-)_q},jR3$\ eH"wCk)E)J8 These include warping, cracking, buckling, diminished wood strength, corrosion of fasteners, and even fungal growth. The floor immediately felt stronger. Wood is used to clean model railroad tracks. Treated wood is typically still wet when its delivered to the job site. Since your subfloor may be concrete or wood, you should make sure you choose a meter that is specially designed for the specific element you are testing. Did the Contractor mention anything about the structural strength of the joists? Thank you for your very informative knowledge about all of the items on this page. Oiling the surface does not control the moisture in the wood. To avoid this problem, wood flooring should never be stored where environmental conditions are uncontrolled, such as garages and exterior patios. This pin-type moisture meter is one of Delmhorst's most popular models. Any suggestions to this being possible to correct? They many times cite the need for further evaluations by what they call other so called experts. He, of course, said that type of product is insufficient. Pinless meters also dont leave damaging pinholes on the woods surface. We have started to import teak outdoor furniture from Indonesia into Europe. The home inspectors working for fees today seem to have one primary motive in mind: to cover their liabilities. I will get further testing from those not involved. Doesnt sound like this has been a problem in the past. (Itd effectively seal the cavity under the vanity, so once the trim is back on, i dont think itll dry out much more.) Floor joists transfer loads to the vertical beams of the house. this is an interesting read I landed upon as I was searching for MC in wood items. A 10% moisture content reading means that 10% of a wood samples weight is due to water in the wood. Why and how can I say this? To the right, 13.2% in the same distance and also drops to ~ 8% after. I believe you are asking for the percent moisture content (humidity) of South African woods. 1. The Las Vegas EMC of wood or lumber ranges from 4.0% to 8.5%. Three years ago, the floor sank in a heavy traffic area and an engineer told me Masonite was used to shim and had compressed. Therefore, in order to avoid post-construction problems, a woodworker building a cabinet for this particular interior environment would need to dry his wood to a moisture content of 8- 9% beforehand and then keep it that dry during the construction process. Oh no! As the airs RH increases, so does the moisture content of any wood exposed to the air. Working with some slabs of spruce. Jerry, From a moisture standpoint, water in the basement can over time absorb into your subfloor. Wall Construction Flat-or no more than 3/8" in 8' (bulge) But none of the contractors abide by the framing codes, nor do the city officials. What do you recommend the reader to be at before insulation and drywall on new construction? The installer should then check the moisture content of multiple boards and average the results. Am i looking at mold if i dont rip the floor out? The new wood was brought in in bundles ~2 x 2 x 6 and left that way to acclimate for ~2 weeks. The boards have dried nicely so far with minimal warpage or checking. A dehumidifier in the crawlspace will help but can be expensive. The wood will still react in humid or dry conditions. Set the meter to the species that makes up the bulk, in this case, the plywood. Will your meters work to find MC levels for composites? These are typical readings for exterior wood. Hi Larry, thanks for the great knowledge sharing. with the spring thaw, i was one of the lucky ones that got water in my basement. Example: 1.2mm Hickory wear layer 9mm thick plywood compose of 7 layers, 2 layers acacia, 4 layers of Eucalyptus\2 layers Acacia and one layer Poplar. My house is 24 years old. 25-30 - Actual, and often extensive, damage is evident when readings reach this level. I read your article and really like it. 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. Normal moisture content of wood ranges from 7% to 19%. for a mere $4900. The substructure may show decayed areas, ranging from small to very large, of rotten floor joist, sills, and . Building Performance Series No. I get some water seepage through an exterior wall at basement floor level as a result of heavy rain. You should be able to specify a lower moisture content. You can use a dehumidifier when you need your crawl space drier, but it's essential to maintain proper moisture levels as much as possible. Im hoping this should work. Copyright - RLC Engineering, LLC. moisture meter testing a floor joist In this image we measure a reading of 37% in this floor joist. Above 90% RH or 20% WMC, mold can grow on the wood. 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. 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. thanks so much in advance. These are slabs roughly 2 thick. We had boards that were also cracking/splitting and other places where small pinholes were showing up. One note is that we did have some fungus growth in our crawlspace during the construction phase prior to the crawlspace being sealed and had the contractor come and spray and clean the floor joists and subflooring where applicable. However, a general rule of thumb is that the basement's humidity level is not over 30 - 50 percent. I would have thought that if the floor gave a 99.9% water saturation reading, it would have had to have been noticeably wet. Any input would be most appreciated. The interior was 3/4 BW the tables dimensions were 40x 70 . 2. I have built two table tops (douglas fir) that have both suffered major cracking in their final location. 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. Hello Folks, I am new to wood turning and do not have a ready supply of dry/seasoned (my wood is green) wood. BD-2100 Pin Meter. That is way beyond fibre-saturation. I would love to be able to give you the perfect answer but unfortunately, there isnt one. )IS0i 1P *V? U? Indoor humidity is around 50%, indoor temps around 70 degrees. The difference is the moisture meters measurement error. The levels were between 20 and 23%. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Thanks for the reply. Would you be able to say anything about the optimal MC range for this specific situation? I have Suar wood from Indonesia and want use to indoor furniture, how range the Moisture Content allowance for this wood. Floor joists support most of your home's weight and play a crucial role in structural integrity. Lacquer will not make a reading difference as long as there are no metallic components in the lacquer itself. It is a 2-3 feet wide wet area that drains to a line connected to the city system. The floor (under carpet) had long-term water exposure supposedly from a shower in the adjacent bathroom (according to the plumber). The joist span tables start with 26 lumber and it goes all the way up to 212. Finally the question I have is I-used your Wood H2O app and the humidity here (outside) is 55% and the temperature is near 70 (inside)am I correct that 10% is what Is the acceptable moisture of the wood should be for furniture building? Damn those shop classes I didnt take. About how long do you think we should allow the new wood to acclimate in the end use environment before installing it? I am based in The Netherlands. The chart below will clear things up. Over a year ago, I re-shim all the piers with metal shims. Top 5 Causes of Cracks in Brick Veneer Homes. 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. What should be the approximate Highest MC to prevent wood problems to include finishes? What do you recommend? Below a 17% MC of wood, virtually no microbial growth will occur on even the most susceptible materials. This will stop the wet/dry cycle that exists every year, in every ventilated crawl space containing A/C ductwork in the SE United States, over their lifetime. 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%. You can check for moisture by using a moisture meter. We are shipping some acacia chopping board to colorado ( US) with moisture ranges from 10-14% while shipping from India but once product received all get cracked . You can hardly see the humps except the first pier that popped up . I would think at least fixing your dehumidifier is a must. Too wet and you get fuzzing. The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) has a chart that indicates the moisture content of wood at any given combination of temperature and humidity. Such readings should alert the homeowner to look for a source of excess moisture. To make sure the wood is properly dried, he always uses a moisture meter before working with it. For example, from 25% to 45% or from 45% to 65%. The floors have started cupping across the entire area with more in some parts. 24 and 26 framing studs should measure 19% moisture content or less. A termite repair company (also licensed contractors) told me that I needed to replace the planks on my second story deck. Hope this helps. We are checking moisture levels in several areas each day. All houses now use perimeter foundation so outside contact temperature stays at about 55 F all year. The optimal humidity in a home is generally 35%-55% and anything under 20% is actually considered unhealthy, as it dries out the skin. Most interior wood is in this range. Lay the panels perpendicular to floor joists, allowing 1/4 inch of space between panels and the wall. Mold starts growing if the moisture contents reaches about 25% moisture content. Cut out a portion (approx 1/2" I think) from the top of the floor joists. There are joists that display splitting. Your table may have been a little too high in moisture, hence the crack as it dried slightly in the drier environment. Typical moisture content for furniture in a home is 6-9%. Your email address will not be published. Here is a link to our website for more information: https://www.wagnermeters.com/shop/orion-950-smart/. The air vents stay closed year round. If your subfloor is a wood product, make sure the reading is less than 20% on the moisture meter. This author has found decay fungi in floor joists at moisture levels of 20% to 25%. In your blog I read that furniture for outdoor is dried to a MC between 9 and 14%. Can I a cut them first, then glue them once they are dryer? Wood moisture content is always varying. Larry Loffer is a senior technician at Wagner Meters, where he has over 30 years of experience in wood moisture measurement. I appreciate you sharing this important information with us at this time. Pinless moisture meters are even easier to use. WME? 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 manufacture ice cream sticks and disposable wooden cutlery from European Baltic birch wood in India. I have one question with regards to pinless moisture meters and wallboard/Sheetrock. Floors should be: level within a 3mm deviation per 1m for floors up to 6m across (measured at the furthest points across the full width of the floor) a maximum of 20mm out of level for floors over 6m across flat within a 5mm deviation, measured using a 2m straight edge with equal offsets. The best way to do this is to use an accurate moisture meter. 1= z@ Currently reading a 12.5%. 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. 28% and above Readings in this range are often accompanied by decay damage. RH where they were built is about 29-30%. The water wasnt properly dried and organic growth was discovered by previous owner. 12% 16% Readings in this range are common to lumber during construction, air dried lumber and healthy residential substructures (beneath first floor in crawl spaces). Effects of Moisture on I-Joists and LVL April 2007 P.O. The SG setting is on the card that comes with the meter. If the middle is wet, you may experience cracking/splitting if dried too fast. I would also consider the environment where the table will live. Are the measurements of all wood the same? I have seen that 13.5% is high for furniture and you should aim below 12%. Squeaks from subfloors The floor installer is often the 'first cab off the rank' when there is a squeaking floor and the problem may But the table will be inside? Great article! The general process for using pin-type moisture meters is as follows. I was thinking 10% MC would be ok but after reading your article Im not sure. ie SW=Starting weight, TW=Target weight, using T%=Target percentage My calculation ( T% X SW = TW). within two percentage points of the EMC where the wood is going to be used. I have about 3,000 sqft on my first floor and this was relatively consistent throughout. Using a moisture meter before painting can help you determine the moisture content of the wood. Subfloor material such as plywood or OSB should measure between 10 and 14% moisture content. >V@Ica4R%f%l&/R*liDqx/nB*?1MH}Su>VeyZ3?>vMLqcwY^U. Mobeen, If a wooden sample gains moisture, then the sample will increase in size. The ASTM D4442 standard determines the accuracy of wood moisture meters. If that is the case you need to remove the flooring and examine the subfloor. Yes, it is possible to have a moisture content reading of 99.9%. WagnerMeters 1.93K subscribers 3.2K views 1 year ago Hardwood Flooring - Tips & Problems Do you work with wood? As lumber dries, it may split, cup and warp. Since water conducts electricity and wood doesnt, the dryness of the wood can be determined by the amount of resistance to an electrical current. That is still quite a wide range. 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. We have had very bad cracking in sheetrock and floors. The wood scale provides accurate, quantitative readings of moisture over the range of 5% to 30% MC in wood. They were installed over existing plywood subfloor. . This app will tell you the percent moisture content that a given temperature and humidity will equilibrate to. Can I get a away with this? For severely rotten joists though, you're going to want to remove the rotten section. i dont understand how the bottom beam looks like swiss cheese from all the holes ive drilled and has had a commercial blower on it for days yet the number is still high despite there being no visible water to keep the wood wet.