Humidity Levels Hardwood

Hardwood floors should have indoor humidity levels of between 35 to 45.

Humidity levels hardwood.

If you have hardwood floors engineered or natural there are a few things you need to know about hardwood and humidity levels to keep your floor in great shape. What should my humidity levels be in my home. Proper humidity level for your hardwood floor. The illustration below will make it easy to understand.

In this chart you can see a small highlighted section. As we just saw however this range can often be difficult to achieve in certain areas of the country during certain. Hardwood floors are a natural product and are sensitive to humidity as it absorbs and loses moisture when it reacts to its surrounding environment. From portland oregon to portland maine one can experience high humidity in every state.

Depending on where you live winter may bring more than h olidays snowmen and ski days. Keeping humidity levels in check will prevent potential damage to your floor. An un humidified house can easily reach a 25 level in the middle of winter. What i did not realize was the amazing effect temperature has on humidity and as a result hardwood flooring.

Hardwood floors humidity. This chart highlights the ideal levels of moisture in wood at various temperatures and relative humidity rh levels. With winter usually comes low humidity levels. 8 ways you re destroying your hardwood floors.

Most experts agree that an ideal level of indoor humidity is around 45 although anything between 35 and 55 is acceptable. Each species has a specific equilibrium moisture content and if the levels fall significantly below or above this point problems will ensue. The national wood floor association nwfa states that normal relative humidity levels should range between 30 50 to ensure successful long term performance of your wood flooring. Once the humidity levels rise above 55 wood flooring can begin to buckle or cup.

Here are images of hardwood floors that have been affected by some form of humidity. Relative humidity is the amount of moisture in the air relative to the total amount of water that the air can hold at a given temperature. So what s a safe humidity range for your wood floors. To put it into perspective the humidity levels in florida frequently hover in the high 90 range while the humidity in las vegas can go as low as 18.

These are the safest conditions for most types of wood between 60 and 80 degrees fahrenheit and 30 to 50 rh. Hardwood is a favorite among many due to its durability and versatility but understanding how relative humidity can affect it over time is very important first things first understanding relative humidity. It s the same as for us. Summer is usually not as big of a problem as winter.