Ceilings account for 35%, walls - 25% and windows 25%. Cracks in Concrete Slabs: Should I Be Concerned? I have a black walnut slabbed up that has been air drying outside for 2 yrs. We are very arid where the tops were built so I figured the tables would be just fine knowing that it is arid where they were goingbut that doesnt seem to be the case. Thanks for the reply. I removed an of the foam insulation. 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. Add an answer. Hi Larry, just finished a black Walnut dining room table back in November. Ideally, you want to check the EMC in the area you will be working on your slab, along with the area it will live in. 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. I took readings of the moisture of the sub floor at the edges of the wall and it ranged from 5 to 16, problem is i cant take it in the middle of the floor unless i rip the floor out. Thanks for any help you can provide! Your contractor may use something called a moisture meter to see what the approach should be for joist damage, or it may be more obvious based on the appearance of the wood. Do these levels seen appropriate considering the recent rainfall. 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? The difference between the wood subfloor and the hardwood flooring shouldn't exceed 4% for solid strip hardwood . The excess moisture source should be corrected if found. Had fans and dehumidifer running for 17 days starting 2 days after leak. )IS0i 1P *V? U? In the most serious cases, entire joists may need to be removed, but many times they can be "sistered," or attached to another supporting joist for additional strength. Allowing the wood to acclimate in the final spot before building, really isnt possible because it is 8 hours away, and I cant take a week off to go up there and build the table. It seems to me the supplier is drying the Teak to 14% because that is what is needed in Indonesia. The flooring pieces should be removed from the packaging to allow the ambient conditions to equalize the wood. The problem is some of the water made its way under the basmenet bathroom floor which is dricor with electric heating wire on top, then tiles, and unfortunately it looks like some of the dricor wood got wet as well! I gladly obliged. As a result, the normal moisture meter reading for these materials in between 0.5% and 1%. 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. Subfloor material such as plywood or OSB should measure between 10 and 14% moisture content. Thanks in advance for your input! Before installing plywood underlayment, ensure that the existing flooring is thoroughly vacuumed, free from debris, and stripped of wax. Soil is almost always damp. But the table will be inside? They need to carry a moisture meter with them under houses and probe the floor joists to measure wood moisture content. Pinless meters are non-penetrating and read the moisture content via a non-damaging electromagnetic sensor that scans the wood. We built our home from ground up and have a sealed crawl space dehumidifiers, etc In January of 2019, we had our builder and hardwood floor contractor come out because our hardwoods were starting to separate a lot. I am not aware of a standard moisture content for packaging food or any other product. Retain this information with your records. Simply put, the post offers some useful information. If low WMC readings were obtained during the winter, and other signs of high moisture levels are present, obtain additional readings during the summer. 9Chrv;plt[nh%:fOl8e^5e cM(?=6?y8{6uZkpz[TgLXD9feUm.L;l7:5C:hf=tE&U[&8 ^ wu*Vz*##;PKk? I live in upstate South Carolina. Wagner Meters has a couple of resources to help you determine the moisture content more suited to your outdoor environment. . the curb is built with 3 2/4s stacked on each other. Im hoping this should work. 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. The boards have dried nicely so far with minimal warpage or checking. It will be there for a few months before I begin working on it. Freshly cut wood has a lot of moisture in it. "R. You should be ok as long as the moisture content does not get worse (higher). About how long do you think we should allow the new wood to acclimate in the end use environment before installing it? Were in northern Indiana, humid summers long cold winters. The purpose of acclimating is to allow the flooring to equalize to the surrounding conditions, no matter how large the room is. 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). Want this question answered? I was able to get the MC down to 15%. Concrete floors. 12% is good for softwoods, but again, it depends on the relative humidity and temperature where the finished product will be kept. Your reading of 12.5% tells me it is workable. Spruce isnt a hardwood so Im assuming I could get away with a shorter dry time. Wood is a hygroscopic material, meaning it picks up or loses moisture based on the ambient conditions. My question: what is the complete saturation reading of wood? water leaked over the edge. You mentioned it was installed just 3 days after it was delivered. In other words, the water weighs more than the wood fibers. Typical humidity levels inside a home is between 40 to 50%. The chart below will clear things up. The SG setting is on the card that comes with the meter. Because of the different materials involved, they will react differently to high heat, thus giving you an un-even plywood surface. When determining the acceptable moisture levels in wood flooring before installation, the NWFA states that the flooring professional should establish a baseline for acclimation. In the Midwest, the EMC of wood or lumber in Des Moines, Iowa, ranges from 12.4% to 14.9%. Good luck. I get some water seepage through an exterior wall at basement floor level as a result of heavy rain. RH where they were built is about 29-30%. 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. Elaine. Post and beam constructions don't have to be kiln-dried but should be air-dried. The amount of swelling or shrinkage depends on how much the . Were so sorry for the inconvenience. I have a couple questions. Box 1437 We dont know if we still have leaks? Thanks for the article, really appreciate the info! Foundation Underpinning Repair: Unnecessary? Am i looking at mold if i dont rip the floor out? Does that seem normal. Be on the lookout for flooring failures such as swelling, buckling, cupping, etc. I live in coastal South Carolina .we are definitely afraid of mold formation. 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. As the airs RH increases, so does the moisture content of any wood exposed to the air. Back to top. I live in Charlotte, NC. I had a water leak under my crawl space which has 3 inches of foam insulation applied to the underside of the sub floor. It is best to obtain a wood moisture content that will match the environment. I have been testing the bottom stud/sill board of an exterior wall on a slab of an old house that exposed in order to put a floor in. Request Answer. As far as the oil finish, the manufacturer of the oil will specify the correct moisture content for an application. Thanks for the question. If you need further clarification http://www.nwfa.org is an excellent source. Whats the Difference Between a Home Inspection and an Engineering Inspection? Is this accurate? My main concern here is that the flooring didnt have enough time to acclimate to the surrounding conditions. There are joists that display splitting. Hi Davetta, Youll need to contact a local mold inspection company that is certified. endstream endobj 80 0 obj <>stream . This is based on a chart in Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material. Hi Larry, So a friend of mine has some pine and oak blabs at MC levels of (oak 11.5%) and Pine 13-14%. Please commenr? Kiln-dried wood usually shows a moisture reading of 10% on the outside and then 25% on the inside. Both slab-on-ground and suspended concrete floors for wet areas: are deemed impervious when steel trowel finished or polished. Now would the pine be okay to use as a top cover piece to an radiator cover? Hope this helps. ft., and averaging the results. We have had on/off rain and humidity 80-90% range. 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. hellow! I am not sure if this is pressure treated wood given its an exterior wall and if that affects what these numbers are. What wood do you recommend that does not have a high oil/water content? 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. And it really helps to pay an HVAC contractor to better seal and insulate the A/C ducts so they dont leak cold air!!! The home inspectors working for fees today seem to have one primary motive in mind: to cover their liabilities. meter readings of up to 2.0% and in-slab relative humidity (RH) below 75%. Decay fungi need liquid water to grow. Avoid unnecessary moisture exposure of all wood components by enclosing the frame against adverse weather as soon as feasible. 2013-10-14 03:14:29. If the MC of plywood is above 20%, can it be redried in a kiln or would that harm the glue? The interior wood moisture level should be 12% or lower before painting. i also drilled into the wood every few inches, several inches deep with a typical drill bit. 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. I had several of the varnished decorative hardwood laminated ply panels replaced in the lounge on an air conditioned luxury yacht. Moisture contents in wood floor joists in houses with moisture problems are exceeding the 20% maximum level for air dried lumber. 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. A 10% moisture content reading means that 10% of a wood samples weight is due to water in the wood. Can I get a away with this? About 5/16 penetration into the wood measures 8% using pins only. The wood looks awful, and the staining the did is even worse. Learn how your comment data is processed. Mobeen, If a wooden sample gains moisture, then the sample will increase in size. Thanks Mark, The EMC outside and the wood should be the same. Your ideal MC will also depend on the outdoor humidity levels. For joists where the rot infestation has been thoroughly dealt with: it is acceptable to leave the joist as it is. So chart would indicate around 9%. 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. It is not fair to ask the seller of this home to pay some pest control firm to spray Borate on the floor system. Call JADE today for a crawlspace inspection and we can give you definitive answers to your crawl space problems! Should I wait for the slabs to be within that 6-9% to cut and glue? The process is time-consuming but produces accurate results if followed correctly. A high reading in one area indicates a problem that must be corrected. The acceptable moisture content in wood depends on two factors: These two factors make it difficult to say anything specific about acceptable wood moisture content. Moisture levels in your crawl space that go beyond 70% lead to mold growth and health concerns. 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. 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. Here is a link to a moisture meter I recommend: https://www.wagnermeters.com/shop/orion-910-deep/. Its never constant. It is also a good idea to use a moisture meter after the three weeks just to make sure. This author has found decay fungi in floor joists at moisture levels of 20% to 25%. It does the same for wood, and is especially hard on softwoods, such as pine or fir. If I dry too much, theres discoloration and breakage of product during polishing. Be notified when an answer is posted. Your email address will not be published. Next, check the moisture of new floorboards. Wood Moisture Content (WMC) is often used as an indicator of decay problems in houses. 800-347-7260 Fax. Thanks. What do you recommend? The wood will still react in humid or dry conditions. We are manufacturer of eng wood flooring. This only occurs when wood changes moisture content below the fibre saturation point. You are correct, furniture grade hardwood is typically dried between 6 to 9%. Room size, L-shaped, is 21.5 x 12.5 and leg of L is 8.5 x 11. The humidity in the room is currently 40! Wide-spread and often extensive moisture damage occurs in residences across the state of South Carolina and elsewhere in the Southeast due to the regions warm, humid climate. Do you have any recommendations on how to prevent mold from getting on the wood? I did not find any information on Matumi. Below a 17% MC of wood, virtually no microbial growth will occur on even the most susceptible materials. somewhere. The best way to do this is to use an accurate moisture meter. Percent moisture content in wood is the ratio of the weight of water compared to the overall weight of a piece of wood. Many of our customers are successfully using our hand held moisture meters on engineered flooring. The rim joist and floor joist sit right on the block. Would you be able to say anything about the optimal MC range for this specific situation? thanks so much in advance. I recommend one of our Orion models: https://www.wagnermeters.com/moisture-meters/. Most floor joists are single or double, and most often made with 2x6s or 2x8s. Any input would be most appreciated. This means a very absorbent wood can retain more water, weight wise, the weight of the wood itself. 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 . Thanks Phil. This type of floor-leveling is DIY-friendly and costs approximately $1.50 per square foot when applied 1/8-inch thick. For boundary materials, the values vary depending on the physical properties of what you are . While oven-dry testing, if followed correctly, offers accurate results, there are a few drawbacks: These three drawbacks mean that oven-dry testing usually isnt the option of choice for hobbyists who work with wood. Observed water leaking along seams of several sheets of original plywood in attic. My plan is to make a wall-mounted headboard out of angle iron and these boards (boards will not be joined). all concrete) is framed and sheetrocked (though not mudded or sealed in any way) is then the studs are tested for humidity, what would be a reasonable level here in Seattle, living approximately 100 yards Puget Sound? 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. I would also consider the environment where the table will live. Do you have a suggestion? 1. summary Acceptable wood moisture readings on a meter normally range from 6% to 8% for woodworking. That is still quite a wide range. Every home's foundation repair needs are different based on soil type, type of foundation problem, and climate. Currently reading a 12.5%. The plumbing was improperly installed with the wrong cement to fit the pipes and could have been leaking from anywhere between 5-29 years while absorbing into the ground. There are areas where organic growth was very active to cause deep, black discolorization. Replaced the subfloor, which is . The acceptable moisture levels in basement walls and floors will depend on many factors. Structural Repairs Dont Have to Be a Nightmare!
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