It’s no secret that moisture and wood don’t mix very well. If you’re considering new flooring, you should insist that your flooring company evaluate the moisture level in your slab or sub-floor. Moisture negatively impacts all types of flooring, but hardwood and engineered wood flooring more than other types. In fact, flooring issues can develop months, or even years later. Some of the issues seen from moisture damage include warping, cupping, buckling, delamination, blistering, and many others.
Properly Determining Moisture Readings Takes Time
There are several approved methods of testing the moisture in a subfloor and concrete slab. The range of acceptable moisture level varies depending on the type and composition of the flooring you’ve selected. Your flooring company should use one of the methods recommended by the flooring manufacturer that you’re planning on having installed.
No matter what type of meter a flooring installation company uses, the proper way to determine the moisture of the subfloor or slab takes time. Taking one reading isn’t sufficient. This is because not all areas will have the same moisture content. The readings need to be averaged to determine the moisture content of the subfloor. One method of measuring slab moisture requires a 72 hour read time. If this is the method your flooring company chooses, they may leave a meter in your slab for several days. Only when average moisture content is determined can your flooring company know the type of moisture barrier and flooring will be best for your home.
Fixing Moisture Issues
Just because the moisture readings came back too high for a proper installation of engineered or hardwood flooring, doesn’t mean you can’t ever have the floors you want. If you have a crawl space and your flooring will be installed on a subfloor, contact a foundation repair company. They may be able to aid in drying out your space lowering the moisture level of the subfloor. Sometimes a damp crawl space is the only thing standing between you and new wood flooring. A common reason that concrete slabs are too wet is because of poor drainage around the home. One way to determine if this may be your problem is to walk around your house the next time it rains and look for standing water against your home. If you don’t have gutters, consider adding them and draining the rainwater away from your foundation.
Seer Flooring has decades of experience testing the moisture level in all types of homes. We never install a new engineered or wood floor without first testing the moisture of the subfloor or slab. If you’re interested in learning about the options for new flooring we offer, call to schedule your no obligation in-home estimate today at 727-785-1930.