“During the summer, we make sure the air conditioner is running to lower the humidity. If the owner plans to paint, or if the property is a new home that has yet to be painted, we make sure the painting is done before any wood floor installation begins. Painting raises the humidity and moisture level in the property, and that can affect the flooring.
“During the winter, we often recommend customers install a direct drive humidifier on the furnace. This means there’s a water line going directly to the humidifier to put moisture into the air,” he said.
Once Paul feels confident the site is acceptable, the sale is made and the wood flooring delivered. When the flooring arrives at the site, he likes to have it acclimate for at least 48 to 72 hours.
The installer is present when the flooring is delivered. He tests the moisture content of the subfloor and wood flooring and records all his findings.
On the day of installation, the installer again checks the moisture content of the subfloor and flooring materials using a Wagner pinless moisture meter.
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He tests at least ten boards per every 1,000 sq ft from different locations in the stack – the top, middle, and bottom – to ensure the overall moisture content is uniform and that none of the flooring has been exposed to excessive moisture since its delivery.
MOISTURE METERS
ARE INDISPENSABLE Sparks Carpet One believes strongly that moisture meters and hygrometers are indispensable tools of the trade. And that it just makes good common sense to repeatedly check for humidity and moisture content throughout the entire installation process in order to prevent costly flooring failures.
Just ask NWFA about their importance. The NWFA Technical Call Center reports that the vast majority of calls they receive are due to moisture-related problems such as warping, cupping, cracking, and shrinking.
Moisture-related problems like these can be avoided, however, if wood floor installers use a good moisture meter.
Paul said: “We at Sparks Carpet One prefer the Wagner MMC220 moisture
meter for several reasons. It’s pinless, so we don’t damage the wood with holes, as is the case with pin meters. It also allows us to measure the wood quickly. We simply slide the wood along the boards to get a fast and accurate reading.
“And I also like the fact it’s very versatile. We can easily adjust for different species of wood, as well as even measure subfloors that might be made of Oriented Strand Board (OSB).”
After the wood floor is installed, Sparks Carpet One makes sure the customer knows how to care for it.
“We instruct the customer on the proper care for the flooring and review all of the manufacturer’s recommendations for care and maintenance.
“We also stress the customer maintain a proper humidity level all year round so that the wood floor isn’t compromised by any atmospheric conditions. In fact, we actually give hygrometers to our customers with each hardwood sale so they can monitor the temperature and humidity themselves.” Paul added.
www.wagnermeters.com SUBFLOOR PREPARATION | 41
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