Hardwood Floors February/March 2025

can capture about the moisture condition

the jobsite and the slab prior to installation of your floor, you are no different from the contractor who cut into that wall without investigating whether it was load-bearing. To protect yourself, remain

For additional information about moisture, check out the NWFA's Installation Guidelines at NWFA.ORG/TECHNICAL- GUIDELINES/.

of a slab includes conducting all of

these tests, along with assessing the ambient conditions in the space, then assessing the results from a broader perspective of the overall moisture condition of that slab. Flooring contractors always are looking for more streamlined, accurate, and cost-effective methods to assess the jobsite before installing a wood floor. Manufacturers have listened, and have answered the call with “unlimited moisture protection” products. Because of these advancements, the temptation to skip the moisture testing step has become more common. For many flooring professionals, the reward outweighs the risk. It’s a business decision. When a project is affected by moisture, no one can account for all the variables that influence moisture dynamics nor how the floor/subfloor system will react. The shift toward “unlimited moisture control systems” marks a significant evolution in product value and performance. These products change how we manage the moisture-related challenges our floors are exposed to at the jobsite. As the professional flooring contractor, it is 100 percent your responsibility to check the jobsite conditions, at the time of installation, to gain a clear perspective of the state of the jobsite you will be installing flooring in. Without an analysis of technical_guidelines_cover_installation_2019.indd 1

WOOD FLOORING INSTALLATION GUIDELINES

diligent about conducting moisture tests. You also should take advantage

of these ever-evolving moisture protection products, just don’t do so without doing your due diligence in assessing the moisture conditions of the slab. In the end, installation of flooring constitutes acceptance of the site

Revised © 2019

12/3/2019 1:39:28 PM

conditions at the time of installation.

Brett Miller is the vice president of technical standards, training, and certification for the National Wood Flooring Association in St. Louis. He can be reached at brett.miller@nwfa.org.

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