How Moisture Affects Hardwood Floors

How Moisture Affects Hardwood Floors

August 23, 2013
Sumatra Rosewood

It's time to remodel and you want to have hardwood flooring installed in your home. Sounds so simple, right? They will look gorgeous throughout and change the whole appearance of your living environment. However, shouldn't you also have a basic understanding of how humidity affects wood flooring? Understanding this will help you maintain your floors and enjoy their natural, long lasting beauty for years to come.

Wood is considered to be hygroscopic, which means that wood absorbs or attracts moisture from the air. Understanding that wood easily absorbs moisture from the air or the environment is the first step in understanding that wood will also change in size. On the flip side, wood flooring is also affected when it dries out. Hardwood floors react to moisture in various regions of the country. Hardwood floors will expand and contract acording to the region in which you live. If you live in a region with arid climates, your hardwood will react differently than someone who lives in a region subject to seasonal high humidity levels.

Seasons also affect hardwood floors and their moisture levels. In the winter time, homes are heated and the air is dry. Therefore, your hardwood floors release moisture and contract. You might see gapping between the planks when this happens. This is normal and it's important for the floor contractor to educate homeowners what they may experience. To help eliminate gapping, it's essential to control and monitor the air humidity levels during winter time to avoid these types of separations.

In the summer time, indoor humidity can rise to very high levels; therefore, the opposite occurs to the boards. The hardwood floors now absorb the moisture from the air, causing the planks to expand. Excessive exposure to humidity will cause the wood flooring to cup. When cupping is noticed, the surface boards will concave, making the edges higher than the center of the boards. If unaddressed, the floors may buckle due to heavy expansion. To avoid cupping, maintain optimal humidty levels by keeping your air conditioner or dehumidifier running during hot, humid, summer weather.

Now that you know what to expect in your climate region and when seasons change, it's important to know if your flooring contractor is doing his/her due diligence in getting your hardwood floors installed properly. When you purchase your hardwood floors, the hardwood will come in at generally around 6% - 9% moisture content. The flooring contractor should come to your home prior to installing to measure the amount of moisture in your home. He/she should also make sure that your home will have stable conditions before installing. After measuring for moisture content and your home conditions are deemed stable, the wood will be delivered to your home to Acclimate. Acclimation allows the hardwood to adjust to the interior conditions of your home to achieve balance and stability in order to avoid shrinking, swelling or cupping. Once the hardwood has acclimated accordingly and has been properly installed, make sure that your flooring contractor explains proper maintenance so that you can enjoy your new hardwood floors with no worries and be the envy of your neighborhood!