Why Is It Important To Check The Moisture Level Of Your Concrete Subfloor?

12th Nov 2015

With new builds and renovation projects alike, comes freshly laid subfloors. With the concrete subfloor in place, you will no doubt want to continue with getting your oak flooring laid. However there is still one critical factor that should be considered prior to this.

The main issue with a newly laid concrete subfloor is the moisture that will still be present. Although the concrete may appear dry from above, it will still contain a significant amount of moisture. As time progresses this the moisture in the concrete would ordinarily rise up and dry out.

Bonneval Oak Flooring

If an oak floor, or indeed a wooden floor in general, was laid over "wet" concrete it is likely to experience problems. The wet moisture will rise up, where it will reach the oak flooring. The oak boards will then take in this moisture, causing excessive expansion.

If you plan to lay oak flooring onto concrete, we always recommend that you check the moisture level of the concrete first. This can be done by using a moisture metre, which provides you with an accurate reading of how much moisture is present in the concrete. Our recommendation is that the concrete has a moisture reading which is less than 4%. To properly check the moisture level, the moisture metre should be used at various points around the room.

With the subfloor sufficiently dry, and indeed the remainder of the room, you can now proceed with choosing the right oak floor for you. Whenever laying over concrete, the usual advice of only fitting engineered oak flooring - or solid oak flooring with boards no wider than 120mm - should be followed.

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