Plank Flooring Moisture

Plank Flooring - Imagine your rooms finished in your favorite wood in extra long, distinctive wide plank floors once found only in historic period homes. The wider plank flooring, in longer lengths portend quality that stands out as a cut above the rest. Hardwood plank floors elevate ordinary rooms to the spectacular. The genial warmth and lustrous personality of wood plank flooring distinguish your home, making it memorable.

Paneling - Nothing compares to the unique experience of walking into a room with wood paneling. The captivating patina and texture of wooden paneled walls envelopes those who enter with a sensual warmth unachievable with any other treatment. Interior paneled walls have nearly always been decorated. Originally, hardwood paneling was used as a means to seal a room from cold drafts, but almost immediately became showcase for craftsmanship, with artistic expression reaching its peak in the 18th century.

Custom Doors - Customers often tell us that, of all of the fine architectural elements in their home, they are the most proud of their custom doors. We are confident that your family will be proud of how our custom doors compliment your home. We know of no finer hardwood door available at any price.

Moisture and Plank Flooring - With wide plank flooring over 4" extra care is necessary for good results. Proper acclimation before and maintenance after installation is critical.

All woods are hygroscopic - they absorb moisture when the air is humid, and lose moisture when it's dry. Wood cells always contain some water. Technically, this moisture content is expressed as a percentage of the weight of the dry wood: 40 to 160 percent in fresh-sawn lumber; 8 to 10 percent (optimum for dimensional stability) in hardwoods kiln-dried for flooring. Wood gains and loses moisture before and after installation, as surrounding environmental conditions fluctuate. As such, it is critical that the inside conditions be maintained to control humidity and temperature to within normal living conditions.

All the wood in your home will contract or expand according to the moisture in the air. In dry, cold weather, cracks and fine lines of separation may appear between boards. If relative humidity and temperature rises, so does the moisture content of hardwood floors. This increase in moisture content can result in the edges of the boards rising as they press against each other from the resultant expansion. This is known as cupping.

Some minor cupping and fine crack separation is to be expected in all hardwood flooring from seasonal changes in humidity. This is normal characteristic of wood. Maintaining consistent humidity and temperature levels will minimize these changes. Floors, as do people, benefit from a balance of humidity and consistent temperature in the home.

Every precaution should be taken to prepare the wood for the environmental conditions of the home prior to installation, and allow for post-installation acclimatization prior to sanding and finishing. Moisture content of the flooring and sub-flooring should be monitored and measured prior to installation. Blind nailing and gluing should be employed with wider boards to minimize wood movement. Vapor barriers should be used were required. Expansion joints and voids should be left under baseboards around the perimeters of rooms.

However, please understand that, we cannot guarantee, with even properly installed hardwood floors, against moisture-induced movement following installation and finishing. Post-installation environmental changes are beyond anyone's control.