After the concrete slab has been determined to be adequately dry installers should also use a wood moisture meter to test the mc of the finished floor product prior to installation.
Acceptable moisture levels in gym flooring.
This chart highlights the ideal levels of moisture in wood at various temperatures and relative humidity rh levels.
This measurement is stated as pounds of moisture over a 1 000 sq.
Some flooring system manufacturers have products that can handle 95 rh or mor.
Wood objects used indoors.
How moisture gets into concrete.
The mfma recommends maintaining indoor humidity s between 35 50 utilizing hvac systems.
Then the hardwood flooring moisture content must be within 2 4 of the subfloor moisture.
In this chart you can see a small highlighted section.
Acceptable moisture levels in concrete according to astm standard when testing via astm f2170 the rh level of a concrete slab needs to be at or below 75 unless the flooring system manufacturer provides alternate guidelines.
Hardwood floors the maximum subfloor moisture level will be either 12 or 13 depending upon the manufacturer.
However the wood species and the thickness or size of the wood may also factor in.
Therefore it s advisable to have a floor tested for moisture content prior to installing flooring or moisture barriers.
An acceptable level is 4 5 lbs.
Concrete slabs and floors can be excellent subfloor surfaces for tile and other floor coverings but too much moisture in the concrete can cause problems with flooring installations.
Electronic concrete moisture meters.
2 for plank 3 wide or more hardwood and 4 for strip 2 wide hardwood.
What are the acceptable moisture levels in concrete.
The calcium chloride test measures the quantity of moisture passing through a concrete floor.
Each species has a specific equilibrium moisture content and if the levels fall significantly below or above this point problems will ensue.
Keep in mind that a wood s acceptable moisture level will depend primarily on how it will be finally used and the average rh where it will be finally used.
At this equilibrium moisture content emc wood will stop absorbing or shedding moisture which prevents some of the physical problems that can occur in wood flooring.
Humidity considerations for floor installers once the humidity levels rise above 55 wood flooring can begin to buckle or cup.
These are the safest conditions for most types of wood between 60 and 80 degrees fahrenheit and 30 to 50 rh.
Based on common guidelines or recommendations the acceptable moisture levels for wood are as follows.
Area during a 24 hour period.