Acceptable Moisture Levels In Gym Flooring

Wood objects used indoors.

Acceptable moisture levels in gym flooring.

How moisture gets into concrete. 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. These are the safest conditions for most types of wood between 60 and 80 degrees fahrenheit and 30 to 50 rh. The calcium chloride test measures the quantity of moisture passing through a concrete floor.

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. Then the hardwood flooring moisture content must be within 2 4 of the subfloor moisture. Some flooring system manufacturers have products that can handle 95 rh or mor. An acceptable level is 4 5 lbs.

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. Based on common guidelines or recommendations the acceptable moisture levels for wood are as follows. Humidity considerations for floor installers once the humidity levels rise above 55 wood flooring can begin to buckle or cup. Therefore it s advisable to have a floor tested for moisture content prior to installing flooring or moisture barriers.

It is extremely important to maintain the appropriate humidity levels within your gymnasium to avoid excessive expansion and potential crowning in your wood floor. For all intents and purposes the ideal moisture of flooring wood will be the moisture content at which the wood reaches equilibrium with the installation environment. 2 for plank 3 wide or more hardwood and 4 for strip 2 wide hardwood. This chart highlights the ideal levels of moisture in wood at various temperatures and relative humidity rh levels.

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. For both the flooring product itself and any adhesive used in conjunction with the flooring accurate concrete moisture testing is crucial. However the wood species and the thickness or size of the wood may also factor in. What are the acceptable moisture levels in concrete.

Area during a 24 hour period. Each species has a specific equilibrium moisture content and if the levels fall significantly below or above this point problems will ensue. Electronic concrete moisture meters. The mfma recommends maintaining indoor humidity s between 35 50 utilizing hvac systems.

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.