Humidifiers And Wood Floors

But if the humidity really jumps quickly the floor can expand beyond these expansion gaps.

Humidifiers and wood floors.

Dehumidifiers can be attached to the central heat and air conditioning unit or portable for use in one room. Will a humidifier damage wood floors. The nwfa estimates that approximately 90 percent of hardwood flooring failures are caused by relative humidity issues in the home. A humidifier can be helpful in raising the relative humidity levels in the drier times of the year which will minimize shrinkage cracks developing in any wood floors and furniture says todd schutte bona s director of elearning.

Adding this extra piece will protect your whole home and wood floors during any season. This is an ideal solution because it allows you to control humidity levels year round so you can avoid damaging your wood floors with humidity levels that are too high in the summer. Mold can grow inside of floors walls and ceiling spaces. So keeping your home always at a relative humidity of 30 55 is the best way to prevent your wood floors from gapping expanding cupping cracking and shrinking and the best humidifier for wood floors will do just that.

They work by pulling the. But keeping humidity at the recommended level is still essential for keeping your hardwood floor looking great as well as for a healthy home environment. Installing hardwood floors in basements or over crawl spaces can be challenging unless you have a dehumidifier working. Portable humidifiers aren t as convenient as a whole house system that s integrated into your hvac system but they re better than nothing.

Less or more than these ranges can affect your hardwood floors negatively showing signs like gapping buckling cracking splits checks cupping and crowning. If your humidifier attempts to add too much moisture on a cold day the air starts to condense on your windows which can cause wood rot. Just think about it. Wood floors are installed with gaps around the edges covered with baseboards to allow for some expansion.

Humidifiers emit moist air into a room increasing the room s humidity levels. The national wood flooring association nwfa advises that relative humidity levels should range from 30 to 50 percent for the best performance and life span of hardwood floors. Yes manufacturers have developed different types of hardwood floor constructions to improve and control the wood natural reaction to changes in humidity. This external thermostat provides more information to your whole home humidifier about how much moisture to add to the air.

The best weather conditions for wood are 60 80 degrees fahrenheit at 30 50 relative humidity. Excess moisture is detrimental for wood floors but everyone s health. Although the fine spray of moist air that is emitted by a humidifier is too light to soak and damage a wood.