• Get Humidity Levels Right Before Installing Flooring .
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Q: A homeowner had hardwood flooring installed in a new home. Soon after, the wood warped. The installers blamed the builder, saying he HAD used clear plastic in the crawl space instead of black plastic and that the crawl space did not have vents but used open ducts from the furnace to heat and cool the floors. _ Indiana
A: Where did you get this installer? The only difference between clear and black plastic is the color. Both are used to lower the humidity levels in the under-floor area.
The use of heating ducts to "condition" the crawl space is fairly new to Indiana. But the science supporting the idea has been tested without complaint by the National Association of Home Builders, and, as a home inspector, I have seen the system at work and I like it.
A new home will naturally have a higher humidity level after the home has been sealed and windows and doors installed. Over time, however, the humidity levels will decrease until the indoor moisture levels have stabilized.
The flooring should have been left inside the home for several days or weeks until the wood was at or near the same moisture content as the home before it was installed.
It just takes time. Maybe, in this case, the flooring was not given adequate time to be conditioned before it was installed.
Source of the article: www.chinafloor.cn
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