Wood Floor Drying Test
March 2010
What types of wood floors can be dried, and which ones should be removed?

 
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HardwoodFlooringDryingTest.pdf

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Hardwood Floor Test
 		The Goal
Find out which floor and fastening method responds well to drying, and what is their relative dry time.

The Test
We built a test platform to help answer the questions on wood floors.  In a controlled environment, which kinds of wood flooring respond well to drying, and which are better replaced?  We tested 4 popular kinds of floors:

  • True ¾” pre-finished oak
  • Bamboo plank flooring
  • Higher quality engineered wood floor
  • Lower quality engineered wood floor  
We also tested three fastening methods for each kind of floor:

  • Nailed directly to plywood subfloor
  • Nailed over 15# tar paper over plywood subfloor
  • Directly glued down to plywood subfloor
The Results

It was found that true hardwood and bamboo have a good appearance and dry well, and that engineered hardwood does not have a good appearance after drying and would be less likely to be saved. It was also found that all wood flooring dried slower than bare plywood, but faster than carpet and pad dried in place. 

For full results click the link on the left of this page.

Restoration Sciences Academy: Science that Works