Royal Wood Floors helps home owners understand more about moisture how it relates to their hard wood floors.
It’s no mystery why hard wood floors are so desirable in homes and even offices. Beautiful hard wood floors increase a homes value, provide a specific look to any space and can last much longer than carpet in the long run. However, in order for hard wood floors to last and continue to provide the beauty that it can, maintenance is required. Royal Wood Floors specializes in refinishing and installing hard wood floors in the greater New Port Ritchey area and has been successful for over 15 years. “After servicing or installing a new floor, we make a point of providing the following as a special series of tips for every customer in order to ensure that their floors are protected and provide that stunning hard wood beauty for as long as possible”, says Keith Allman who owns Royal Wood Floors. He continues to say, “one of the most common causes of damage to hard wood floors is moisture related problems”. While moisture damage can often times be dealt with through hard wood floor restorations, it is important that residents be educated on it.
Well performing wood floor is often the result of an installer taking the proper time necessary for a successful hard wood floor installation. This includes a well rounded knowledge of the expected moisture content of wood flooring in a particular area after acclimation, the moisture content of the flooring at the time of installation and the expected “in-use” changes. Moisture is a large part of the reason for how wood behaves, both during the machining process as well as after it is installed. There can be moisture from the house itself because there are many sources where moisture takes place. For example, mopping a floor in a 150 square foot kitchen can release the equivalent of 4 ½ pints of water into the air. A shower or bath can release about ½ pint. Even washing the diner dishes can release about ½ pint. A family of 4 actually gives off about ½ pints of water per hour just breathing which is why bedrooms are unexpected sources of moisture.
Moisture can sometimes be released into the homes crawl space from the mechanical systems within the house. Home owners can avoid this by making sure the clothes dryer is properly vented to the outside. Also, condensate water from cooling systems and water from automatic ice makers should be discharged away from the structure altogether. Moisture comes from a variety of different sources which include the Earth itself such as rain water run-off as well as some of the sources already mentioned. Royal Wood Floors can evaluate the homes unique situation in relation to moisture and come devise a protection product that best safeguards the wood flooring from potential damage. This can include a protective treatment or coating of the hard wood floors to ensure that they can last longer. This is always done on every new hard wood floor installation as well as wood floor restorations that involve sanding, buffing and coating of older hard wood floors that need to be brought back to life. All Royal Wood Floor staff are trained in-house on the standards set by the National Wood Flooring Association which ensures that every job is evaluated for potential situations that can occur due to moisture. “On new hard wood floor installations we look at humidity levels in the rooms because humidity can affect the results of a great new floor after its been put down which is important”, says Allman. How much can temperature and humidity affect the dimensions of a hard wood floor? Take the example of a 5-inch red oak plank board. Within normal living conditions with an interior living condition of 70 degrees and a relative humidity of 40%, the board will have a moisture content of 7.7% and the board is 5-inches wide. If the humidity level drops below 20%, the moisture content of the board will be 4.5% and the same 5-inch board will shrink by .059-inches. Across 10 feet of hard wood flooring that could translate to as much as 1.5-inches of shrinkage which would alter the finished result of the installation. After every new hard wood floor installation the customer is given information regarding how to properly care for and protect their new floors against many potential issues that includes avoiding moisture.
For more information about this experienced and professional hardwood floor restoration and new installation company, or to schedule repairs by these wood floor refinishing contractors, or learn about custom wood styles or the company’s inlay and medallion installation services, phone Keith Allman at 727-267-2617. Easy estimates and appointments are currently available through the company’s website, https://royalwoodfloor.com/. The company provides top craftsmanship and cares for many types of custom and domestic wood. Visit the company’s website for examples of previous work.