Bamboo Flooring Moisture Content

To help minimize moisture content transfer from the concrete slab into bamboo flooring a moisture barrier should be applied.

Bamboo flooring moisture content. If bamboo is the look you want there are four things to consider in order to prevent moisture related problems in your bamboo flooring. Before installation the moisture content of the subfloor should be within 4 percentage points of the new flooring fig. It s worth noting at this point that there is no standardized grading system for bamboo. Bamboo is commonly touted as being slightly more moisture resistant and mold resistant but the differences are negligible and essentially meaningless.

Both bamboo and hardwood flooring can be ruined by moisture from standing water or water vapor. Bamboo is dimensional stable at its saturation point of about 25 30 moisture content. Wood moisture meters for flooring applications come in two varieties. Once back at the saturation point of 25 30 it again stabilizes.

Cali bamboo always recommends using a moisture vapor barrier especially if the moisture content of the flooring and subfloor vary greater than 3. Concrete subfloors must be tested for moisture vapor pressure in more than one place for consistent readings. Bamboo flooring should be within 3 of subfloor moisture content. Testing the moisture content of bamboo flooring due to the sheer density of the planks and some binding resins bamboo flooring can t typically be tested for moisture in the same way hardwood flooring can.

The fastest way to measure moisture in floors is to use a moisture meter for wood. Tramex ligno mat or delmhorst to name a few that will have strand bamboo settings. Concrete must be dry and fully cured at least 60 days. Moisture meter settings when installing the flooring the source and the construction can influence the ideal moisture level for each environment and the species setting or specific gravity sg can vary greatly depending on the manufacturer s source and process.

Note that for 3 or wider floor boards there should be no more than 2 difference in moisture content between properly acclimated bamboo flooring and wood subflooring materials. However in some coastal areas the average rh is in the 58 to 63 range. As it starts to gain in moisture it expands until it reaches the saturation point again. In most cases your installation will probably in a zone with rh values between 40 and 45.

If the temperature of the building is between 75 and 85 degrees fahrenheit the equilibrium moisture content of your wood should be between 7 and 8. Verify by using a moisture meter pic1 such as. If the moisture content between the new flooring and subflooring varies more than 4 percentage points or 2 for boards wider than 2 1 2 the flooring should not be installed. These devices can be used to test the moisture content mc of wood flooring in mere seconds.

Below this point it begins to shrink until it reaches 0.