A hygrometer reads the humidity and temperature of the room, not the moisture inside the wood itself. That distinction is the whole argument. Pair the reading with a published equilibrium moisture content chart and a target number, and the question “is this floor ready to install” stops being a feeling and becomes arithmetic anyone can … Read more
The 6-9% figure quoted for wood flooring moisture content is a range because Oregon has two distinct wood-moisture climates, not one. West of the Cascades, installers typically target the upper half of that band, closer to 9%. East of the crest, in the dry interior, the target drops toward 6%. The “right” number depends on … Read more
In the Willamette Valley — Portland, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Springfield, and everywhere between the Coast Range and the Cascades — an installer should be targeting the upper end of a 6-9% moisture content band for wood flooring, not the middle and not the bottom. That’s the wet side of Oregon. East of the Cascade crest, … Read more
In Bend, an installer is generally targeting wood moisture content near 6%, not the 6-9% band used on the wet side of the state. Bend sits east of the Cascade crest, in the driest and one of the most seasonally extreme climates in Oregon, and the flooring has to be acclimated to match that air, … Read more
Acclimation is not “let the wood sit for three days.” It’s the point at which the wood’s moisture content matches the room it’s going into, measured with a meter, not guessed with a calendar. A stack of boards can hit that number in two days or need two weeks — the only way to know … Read more
A floor in Bend and a floor in Portland are answering different questions, even though both are in Oregon. West of the Cascade crest, the air holds more moisture year-round, older houses are more likely to be hiding an original wood floor, and the first question is often “what’s already down here?” East of the … Read more