Acceptable Moisture Levels For Laminate Flooring

14 is the highest moisture reading acceptable for wood subfloors.

Acceptable moisture levels for laminate flooring.

Wood subfloors are actually easy to check for moisture content just test for moisture at several locations in the room and average the results fig. As the humidity levels rise above 60 your flooring expands. Since these companies do not specify the type of meter used either a pin or noninvasive is acceptable under their subfloor moisture testing standards toylys states that subfloor moisture content may not exceed 10. To make sure that the moisture content of wood flooring is in the right range many professionals use flooring moisture meters to test their wood flooring materials and.

Drier climates can drop as low as 4. Testing wood subfloors. The fastest way to measure moisture in floors is to use a moisture meter for wood. Mannington columbia mohawk quickstep unilin each state that subfloor moisture content may not exceed 12.

If your subfloor is concrete and recently laid you re likely to face more of a challenge when it comes to moisture. What happens when humidity and laminate mix. These devices can be used to test the moisture content mc of wood flooring in mere seconds. Ideally you should aim to have a reading of somewhere between 35 and 40 humidity air or 2 3 moisture content before laying your new floor.

With that said you should take a moisture reading before installing your flooring to make sure it is acceptable. 1 in most regions of the country a dry wood subfloor that is ready to work has a moisture content of 12 percent or less or down to about 6 in states with low rh relative humidity. Measuring moisture in wood flooring. Ideally you re looking for the moisture content of your subfloor to be 2 or less.

Therefore it s advisable to have a floor tested for moisture content prior to installing flooring or moisture barriers. 1 to prevent moisture migration up through concrete substrates located on and below grade and damage to installed floor coverings the concrete slab shall be protected from ground moisture and hydrostatic pressure by the use of an industry approved vapour retarder moisture barrier or waterproof membrane having a permeance of less than 0 3 perms 0 2 metric perms in accordance with astm e 96. As a rule most parts of the united states will have a rating of about 8 moisture. Laminate flooring may present a durable plasticized surface to your feet but it s made mostly of wood fibers and wood is sensitive to moisture.

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. Because laminate is installed using a tongue in groove click to lock system this expansion can push the sides of each plank into each other causing them to buckle. Low humidity levels can also have an impact on your flooring.