Moisture Matters Blog

Why should flooring installers and inspectors use moisture meters for wood flooring? When installing wood flooring, moisture is a constant concern. This is because wood is a hygroscopic material—it will gain or lose moisture until it reaches equilibrium with the ... Read More

There's no wood finish or surface application in the world that can compensate for the defects that occur when items made of wood are not sufficiently dried before production. In many cases, the conditions that contribute to the relative moisture content within any ... Read More

Industry-specific advice is always helpful, especially when the authority is also a master craftsman. In this last of our series of articles featuring the value of Delmhorst moisture meters in a number of applications, we are sharing the insights and opinions of Billy ... Read More

Rx #7: DIAGNOSING CUSTOMER ISSUES Every so often, but hopefully not too often, a customer has a complaint. Often, moisture content (MC) is the potential issue. So, let’s discuss how to use a moisture meter on many types of finished products to obtain the necessary MC ... Read More

Rx #6: MOISTURE METER CHOICES There are two types of moisture meters used with lumber. One uses pins or needles that are inserted into the piece of wood being tested; the other does not have pins but has a plate that must be in good contact the wood. Which meter is ... Read More

Rx #5: MONITORING MC IN PRODUCTION There should be no doubt that the moisture content (MC) of the wood used in manufacturing of furniture, cabinets, flooring, and so on is super critical for producing products that perform well in service. As stated in Rx #1, the MC of ... Read More

Rx #4: SAMPLING INCOMING LUMBER Always check the MC of incoming lumber. It is critically important for a wood products manufacturing operation to have lumber that is at the correct moisture content (MC). Failure to achieve this goal means losses in quality and ... Read More

Rx #3: MEASURING MC WHEN UNLOADING A KILN Over the recent past decades, the processors and users of kiln dried (KD) lumber have become more and more conscious of the importance of achieving the correct final moisture content (MC). The users appreciate that incorrect MC ... Read More

Rx #2: SELECTING KILN SAMPLES KILN DRYING BASICS For kiln drying all hardwood, and some softwood, the basic kiln operation process is Read More

Rx #1: MOISTURE & WOOD INTERACTION WHY MC? Why do wood people worry so much about MC? In my 50 years in this wood manufacturing industry, I estimate that 75% of the manufacturing problems with wood are related to incorrect pr changing moisture content (MC). If we ... Read More