Hardwood Floors August/September 2019

Dictionary). By taking moisture readings of the wood floor and the subfloor, with all of the previously mentioned factors taken into account, along with following the manufacturer’s instructions and NWFA Installation Guidelines, you are doing your part. The 2 percent/4 percent rule is a general guideline that is based on decades of experience. Does it fit every scenario? No. Does it work most of the time? Yes. g Brett Miller is VP of Education & Certification at the National Wood Flooring Association in St. Louis. He can be reached at brett.miller@nwfa.org.

these factors taken into account, you could see a 2 percent to 4 percent (or more) variation in what is accurate and what is not. So why follow a rule that appears to be based on a general concept in many scenarios rather than on quantifiable data? Refer back to the “Accuracy Based on Averages” section of this article. It is also your responsibility as a professional in the wood flooring industry to do your due diligence when installing a wood floor with the professional tools made available to you. Due diligence is defined as “an action that is considered reasonable for people to be expected to take in order to keep themselves or others and their property safe” (Cambridge

the magazine of the national wood flooring association

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