Question regarding moisture level in wood

9 years ago

I had a new wood floor (4" white oak) installed as part of a kitchen remodel back in February (Colorado), and over the months I have seen cupping in one area and bumps/unevenness appearing in a few others. I purchased a hygrometer so that I could start measuring the humidity in the house (both on the main floor and in the basement), and it seems to be reading between 33% - 53% depending on the weather. I also purchased a Ryobi pinless moisture meter so that I could take some readings from the wood on the floor. In the affected area (it's about three planks), the reading is about 11% - 14%. All the other measurements are about 7%.

Are the pinless meters generally reliable? If so, what could this mean, that only three planks, in one area, have a reading that is twice what the rest are?

Thanks.

This post was edited by LuckyJoe on Sat, Jul 19, 14 at 18:00

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (11)

gregmills_gw
9 years ago
Pinless will work generally but are not as good as the pin probes.
Where are the affected planks in relation to the kitchen? Near a dishwasher, fridge? Stove?

Is the wood discolored at all? Does the cupping come and go or permanate? And how long after the install did you notice? Pics would be nice as well.
LuckyJoe
Original Author
9 years ago
The wood is not discolored. The cupping started (slightly) as soon as the weather started warming up, and it has gotten noticeably worse. The install was done in February, and I first noticed it as I was sweeping/damp-mopping the floor at the beginning of June.

The first photo is looking down the affected planks toward the door (hence the light) where there is a small amount of aberration, the second shows area of the same planks that are most affected by the cupping. The affected area is right next to the stairs, in the middle of the room - away from any sinks or doors.

Here is a link that might be useful: Photos
Related Discussions
Determining soil moisture at the local level
Q
Comments (6)
What you want to do, is plant things that are native to your area. They will be able to cope with the normal water content of your soil without your having to fuss over exactly what it is. Clay soil holds water longer than other soils do. You probably get a fair amount of rain distributed throughout the year, so I don't see any reason to worry about the exact water content of your soil. The slope will help the clay from staying water logged too long. And - plant encyclopedias tend to be written for your neck of the woods, not ours. Most American gardening books are pretty useless here on the Pacific Coast, they're written for the humid eastern half of the country, where you are, with a nod to the special conditions of the midwest and the southeast, but pretty clueless about the intermountain west and the pacific coast. I tell novice gardeners here to NOT buy any nationally-distributed garden books, but to stick with either British books (similar climate to the PNW) or books written specifically for the Pacific Coast or PNW. So when these encyclopedias you're looking at say dry moist wet whatever, they mean YOUR dry moist wet whatever. Not ours. You may be making this project way more complicated than it really is. Look at your rainfall distribution over the course of the typical year. So long as you are getting a few inches of rain a month in the growing season, you aren't likely to have dry soil, especially with clay. Make sure what rain you get is allowed to infiltrate rather than run off the surface. Planting trees and shrubs will help the rain infiltrate rather than run off. Mulching with tree chips or leaf litter will help greatly too. We get actually very dry soil here in the rainy PNW. We tend to have gravelly soils in many areas, and no rain in the middle of summer, so our soil can get bone dry for a couple of months. But in the winter I am grateful for that gravelly soil, otherwise I would be under water all winter long. Here in Olympia we get 55-65" a year, from September through June, nothing in July or August most years. We get nearly twice as much rain as Seattle does. It's just an unremitting drizzle for 9 months, rather than scattered downpours like the eastern half of the country. An inch a day is a lot for us. In the native forests, very little rain reaches the ground sometimes! the forest canopy can intercept most of a typical winter rain event of up to an inch in 24 hrs. After a few days of that though it does start to dribble through the canopy. Remove the trees, and it's a different story - lots of runoff and erosion. That's why I think you should plant native trees on your land.
...See More
Probably a silly question, but regarding weight training
Q
Comments (2)
Molly hi, I believe that there is a big difference between working and working out. Even though you have strenous physical exercise daily, are you working all of your muscle groups correctly? Also, a good trainer will not only work all of your muscles, he/she will work on balance and make sure that you stretch properly. This is a personal decision on your part. Good luck in making it. Carol
...See More
Must you test moisture of hard wood before installing if...
Q
Comments (5)
Yes, I'm assuming it will be kiln dried. I guess I said "rough" meaning unfinished.. basically it will be purchased directly from the lumber mill. Does that help clarify? I am not really familiar with moisture testers for wood, but I presume that would be a good investment, seeing as the floor is certainly one! Could anyone guide me on what I need to look for in a moisture tester? Thanks!
...See More
Mystery Moisture in Slab Ruined Engineered Wood Floor. Now What?
Q
Comments (149)
We had our whole house re floored in LVP In June 2021. Within a few months a portion of the kitchen started bubbling up and splitting at the seems. The flooring guy originally came and said that he believed it was sun damage coming from our glass sliding door. We ended up replacing the door with uv protection glass and the flooring guy replaced the whole kitchen floor with a moisture barrier paper underneath. During the demo they said there was possible moisture on the floor. We had a plumber out and he determined we did not have a leak. Just a few months later it started to happen again in a different area of the kitchen. When they installed the lvp originally they went right over tile, so this time he took up the tile as well so we could see what was happening. There was no obvious water or leak. We then had all our pipes looked at. Our drain pipes scooped. Inside and outside, pool, etc. Spent a ton of $ on tests. There was no leak to be found. We think we must have a foundation slab that has a high moisture content or the soil below has a lot of moisture? That’s all we could come up with. This time for the 3rd installation they put down a moisture barrier epoxy, a wood plank sub floor, and glued the lvp down to that. It made it a year after that, but we have the same problem happening again. So they have replaced the flooring in the kitchen 3 times in less than 3 years and it needs to be replaced again now. We had the manufacturer out and they of course blamed the installation. It is mind boggling. We have had so many plumbers, and flooring companies out and no one has ever agreed on what the problem is. So, I have to replace the kitchen floors again and this time need to do something other than the LVP that matches the rest of the house. I have heard about epoxy/ painted concrete flooring and thought that might flow better than tile. Do you have a knowledge as to if it would hold up to moisture fumes as that is our best guess as to the moisture problem we have? Tile is the other option and that is what was originally in the house and there didn’t seem to be any issues with tile. any ideas?
...See More
gregmills_gw
9 years ago
Do you have access to the subfloor from level below? You def have an issue with moisture and based off where the appliances are. Either you need to gain access to the subfloor from below. And if its a finished ceiling that means tearing a hole into. Or you tear out the affected floor.

I would suggest sanding the area but without determining the cause of the moisture its more than liking to cup again.

Is there radiant heat in the floor? Any chance you have drain pipes or water lines running thru that area?
LuckyJoe
Original Author
9 years ago
No radiant heat in the floor. I'm not sure about the water lines/drains, since the basement is finished. Would this be a job for a plumber? I did need to have some plumbing work done (pipes moved, both for the sink and the refrigerator), and now I'm wondering if there's a leak.

Other than replacing the area with the affected planks (which I assume, may need to be done anyway), what would be the downside to taking up the floor?

Thanks.
User
9 years ago
What type of subfloor is under the wood flooring? Wood joists, concrete with sleepers and plywood or just plywood over concrete?
One might get a little cupping and movement with seasonal changes, especially in the first year. The second picture looks more serious than normal movement.
Was the floor prefinished or site finished?
gregmills_gw
9 years ago
The downside would be having to replace sand and finish(if site finished) the mess and whatnot.

Im not sure a plumber is necessary right this moment. You'd hate to get them out there only to have them not find a problem.

Thing is the damage is done. The wood may go back to normal once the moisture returns to normal but generally thats not the case. I would continue to monitor the moisture levels and observe the cupping. If it gets any worse or the moisture levels dont receed then i would make plans to either rip up the wood or tear a hole in the ceiling below.

I hate not being able to be able to give better advice but this is one of the draw backs of trying to help online.
LuckyJoe
Original Author
9 years ago
@JFCWood:

Since there is a (finished) basement underneath, it is some type of composite material, and the installer put some black (felt?) over it before laying in the new floor. The floor was site finished. I've measured the humidity in the basement, and it ranges between 40-50%.

@gregmills:

Your input is much appreciated.

I've had my floor installer come out and look at it. There is definitely a moisture problem, and we may have found the source - I'll fix it and watch. In the mean time, he did cut a whole in the wall right where the aberrant boards are, and discovered that there is no evidence of moisture, at least at the end of the floor. I will be checking the underside tomorrow since the ceiling in the utility area in the basement is not finished, and the affected area isn't far away from that.

This post was edited by LuckyJoe on Tue, Jul 22, 14 at 22:04
gregmills_gw
9 years ago
You cant just tell us you think you found the source of moisture and not share it!! Haha! Cmon i curious!!
User
9 years ago
I might disagree with gregmills here. I've seen lots of floors that got wet and completely flattened out once they dried. The sooner it dries out, the more likely it is to return to it's former state. You might still end up with some cracks between the boards that would need to be puttied. A dehumidifier could help pull the moisture out more quickly.
Jon 6a SE MA
9 years ago
Could be sweating uninsulated duct work.
Swentastic Swenson
9 years ago
YES! Please tell us if you found the source. I'm dying here!

Question regarding moisture level in wood

Comments (11)

gregmills_gw

LuckyJoe
Original Author

Related Discussions

gregmills_gw

LuckyJoe
Original Author

User

gregmills_gw

LuckyJoe
Original Author

gregmills_gw

User

Jon 6a SE MA

Swentastic Swenson

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Question regarding moisture level in wood

Comments (11)

LuckyJoeOriginal Author

Related Discussions

LuckyJoeOriginal Author

LuckyJoeOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

LuckyJoe
Original Author

LuckyJoe
Original Author

LuckyJoe
Original Author