Hot take: I think we're all overestimating how much moisture wood floors can handle

I was reading a study from a university in Oregon about wood movement. It said that for a common 2 1/4 inch oak strip, a change from 30% to 60% relative humidity can cause it to swell almost a quarter of an inch over a 10-foot span. I mean, that's a huge gap if you're not leaving enough expansion space. We always talk about acclimating, but maybe we should be telling clients to buy a good humidifier and dehumidifier, not just a floor. Has anyone else had a call back where the real issue was the homeowner's HVAC, not the install?

3 comments

3 Comments

amyh1225d agoProlific Poster

That point about the HVAC is so true. We get so focused on the wood itself we forget it's just reacting to the air in the room. It makes me wonder if we should be checking the humidity in the subfloor and walls during install, not just the air. Like @phoenix149 said, even old growth moves, so the real fix is controlling the whole house environment, not just hoping the floor was dry enough on day one.

adamt8425d ago

But what if the real fix is just using better wood in the first place?

phoenix14925d ago

My cousin's 100-year-old pine floors in Savannah buckle every single summer like clockwork. The old growth stuff moves less, but it still moves.