Hardwood flooring chosen and purchased tick. Flooring installation arranged tick. However one important step, is to check the levels of moisture and humidity in the sub floor prior to installation. This is an essential part of the process and means that you are paying respect to your home and its environment. Checking moisture levels avoids possible problems and the lowers the risk of damage post-installation.

Acclimatise the Wood

Hardwood flooring should be acclimatised to the environment where it will lay before it's installed. If this isn't possible, then the wooden flooring should acclimatise in an environment of similar humidity conditions. This will minimise the risk of expansion or contraction in the wood after it's laid, and therefore reduce the risk of damage.

Assessing Moisture in Wooden Sub Flooring

If the sub floor is made from timber, then ideally around 30 moisture readings should be taken to assess whether or not there's a moisture problem. Then take an average count of these readings. The level where you have nothing to worry about is 2-3% or less. Moisture levels that vary widely over the entire wooden sub floor are abnormal and should be considered a warning sign.

Assessing Moisture in Concrete Sub Flooring

In new homes, or where the concrete slabs have been recently laid, the concrete takes quite a long time to dry out. Therefore it can be nigh on impossible to get an accurate moisture reading there. So it's a good idea to take action to prevent ongoing moisture problems. Use a damp proof membrane of either polythene or any other damp proof product. Also you may want to consider how much you will be heating this room, this will keep the dampness at bay, and therefore reduce the risk of moisture in the sub floor. 

Ideally you should be aiming for a humidity level of less than 35-45% or 2-3% moisture content in  the sub floor. Anything higher than this, will mean that your lovely hardwood floor may expand or contract due to moisture, and become damaged after installation.  

Call On the Experts

In addition to assessing moisture levels in the sub floor, DD Flooring will assess the sub floor to ensure a consistent surface for hardwood flooring installation. This includes: installing battens over the concrete slab using a laser level; the installation of plywood over the concrete slab. And also applying Ardit, a levelling compound, to any inconsistent slabs.