Brickman Consulting

Wood Flooring Solutions.

Are You Whimpering?

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Cross posted from Howard Brickman's article on Hardwood Floors Magazine: Inspector Blog.

“Sir, we clocked you installing a wood floor on a high moisture content subfloor. May I see your documentation on moisture content of the subfloor?”

You whimper, “But officer, it looked dry to me.”

This is the wood floor guy equivalent of getting bagged with the radar gun going 50 in the 30 mph speed zone. So, how do you protect yourself? Get a radar detector. It’s called a moisture meter. Here are the step by step instructions.

-Buy a proper moisture meter.
-Use the moisture meter.
-Learn how to take the right amount of moisture tests.
-Learn how to properly use your proper moisture meter.
-Take your proper moisture meter everywhere you go.

Now let’s break it down.

– Buy a proper moisture meter: I use the Delmhorst J-4 or BD-10 electrical resistance (pin type) meters and also keep a Moisture Content Standard (also sold by Delmhorst) to check the meter for accuracy every time I use it. I am not familiar with all of the other moisture meters currently available. And Mom used to say if you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything.

– Use the moisture meter: Check every place where there could possibly be some excessive moisture, including near exterior doors and windows, plumbing, tile wet saw, masonry and plaster mixing locations. It is not the average of the MC readings that damages flooring, it is high MC locations. Your options are to dry or replace the wet subfloor.

– Learn how to take the right amount of moisture tests. You can probably stop when you get to 50 tests in 1500’. Even on small jobs you should take at least 15 readings. Another hint: Write the date, MC, and your initials on the subfloor with a black Sharpie. Test the flooring on the bottom face and also write the test results on the pieces of flooring. If the floor has to be replaced you will have the documentation there for the world to see. It is also a great idea to record these MC readings on the work order or flooring delivery ticket or other job related paperwork that can be tucked away in the job file.

– Learn how to properly use your proper moisture meter: What does the MC number mean? Learn what “normal” MC in subflooring and flooring is for your part of the world during different times of the year by testing existing houses. Get in the habit of constantly checking your own house. Push those pins to the full ¼”/ 5/16” depth and orient the pins with the longitudinal axis of the grain (with the grain). And what does variance of the number mean? If the MC varies by more than 1% there is something changing in the building. The greater the variance, the more substantial the changes that are in progress.

– Take your proper moisture meter everywhere you go. Please…. Pretty please with sugar on it…

The best source for information on moisture meters is our friends at the Forest Products Laboratory. One of my favorites is FPL-08 Electric Moisture Meters for Wood by William James. And you can download a copy from the FPL web site.

And remember the magic words: shrink and swell.

Try Ignorance

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Cross posted from Howard Brickman's article on Hardwood Floors Magazine: Inspector Blog.

If you think education is expensive, what do you figure the going rate for ignorance is? Or, do you think no one will notice when you are faking it? The “good” news is that most of your customers are very poorly informed and won’t know if your information is not correct. So if everyone uses the same incorrect information, who will notice? My intent in writing this blog is to challenge some of the mythology regarding wood flooring that has been incorporated into the collective consciousness of the wood flooring industry and to share some excellent sources of basic knowledge. But I will start with the warning that you should not believe anything unless you truly understand its basis in knowledge. With technical and scientific knowledge, this means that you need to understand the physical world described by physics, chemistry, biology, botany, and math.

An important part of understanding the knowledge is the words that comprise the vocabulary of every profession, skill, or specialty. Where it is feasible, it is best to avoid reinventing the wheel with regard to terminology. It is especially useful to bring terms from the basic fields of science into our specialty to build a bridge into the basic knowledge and establish a direct link with our specialty and what we can prove. Does this mean that everyone needs to become a physicist? No, but we should respect the terminology that describes the physical world and not invent our own mock science to describe what goes on around us.

So, here we go. Wood “shrinks” and “swells” when it loses and gains moisture content… like that fancy wool sweater that you should not have put in the dryer at the high heat setting. The words “expand” and “contract” generally refer to dimensional changes that occur due to changes in temperature. Although very similar in meaning to swell and shrink, it is not technically correct. The Wood Handbook is the one of the best sources for information about wood that is technically accurate. It is published by the Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wis. Better yet, it’s free if you have a computer with Internet access. It is a technical book that requires some understanding of basic science and math. It also contains almost all of the fundamental knowledge about wood and lumber that professionals would need for their entire career. If you are only going to have one book in your professional library, make it The Wood Handbook.

The wood floor bidness has developed some less-than-accurate habits over the years with the words we use to describe wood and how it works. We are not disciplined about using technical words. And using the correct words is a great habit to develop, because it greatly limits misunderstanding. Misunderstanding can easily transition into differences of opinion, which can easily transition into disagreements, which can easily transition into disputes and problems. Disputes and problems are bad for business, which wastes a great deal of our mental energy and material resources. Distractions that you enjoy are called hobbies, while distractions that are not enjoyable are called problems. It makes no sense to cultivate any hobbies that are not enjoyable . So when you refer to dimensional changes related to changes in moisture content, please use the magical words “shrink” and “swell”.

The Concrete Jungle

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astmlogobWeek before last, I attended the Resilient Flooring Committee (called F-06) meeting at ASTM* Headquarters in Philadelphia. This committee is on the cutting edge when it comes to outlining methods and standards for testing moisture in concrete. I must say, it is impossible to not be impressed by such a smart group of hard working professionals striving to create good documents based on the best available science. The F-06 committee is the driving force behind developing the internal Relative Humidity testing of moisture in concrete (ASTM F-2170).  

Having studied the science behind drying and curing, I am always surprised by the amount of controversy surrounding the moisture testing of concrete. There are many millions of dollars in failures of coatings and floor coverings due to excessive moisture in concrete subfloors. Large commercial job failures are financially devastating for flooring contractors. How does the song go?  “Send lawyers, guns, and money.” It seems to me that it is easier to test the concrete for moisture than to figure out how to weasel out on a failed floor.

The fascinating part of this meeting was the discussion and balloting concerning a proposed new guideline for using electronic concrete moisture meters. Anyone knowledgeable about these meters realizes that while they are useful for finding building leaks (high readings for wet areas versus lower readings for dry areas), they do not actually measure the quantity of moisture in the concrete. In fact, the proposed guideline stated:

This meter is not intended to provide quantitative results as a basis for acceptance of a floor for installation of moisture sensitive floor finishes.

It was a spirited discussion and while the vote was close, the document was sent back for further revisions.  In case you were curious, I voted for further revision.  It seems that there is no pressing need for a prestigious organization like ASTM to produce a document which might be misinterpreted, or worse yet, mis-used by unscrupulous individuals.

All in all, it was two days well spent furthering my understanding of the concrete industry, and highly recommend becoming involved with ASTM to anyone interested in doing the same.

*ASTM = The American Society of Testing and Materials is an organization that helps groups of interested volunteers work to create documents that standardize test methods and procedures for concrete.  It is a transparent and open process for anyone who wants to participate.

A dispatch from the 2009 NWFA Convention

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2584207725_79798c0c39_b-copyLast week I attended the annual NWFA convention in Long Beach, CA.  Having been in the industry for 30 years, this certainly wasn't my first rodeo.  Truth be told, I didn't go with the expectation of enjoying myself. 

My primary reason for attending was out of the necessity of maintaining contacts. In spite of my initially bad attitude, this year's meeting turned out to be both fun and very productive for me personally.  Maybe it's a part of getting older. With life passing by at a seemingly faster pace, the need to rush somehow dissipates.  The major topic of discussion was the general decrease in business.  Having ridden out a few down cycles in this industry, I was reminded of some lessons I have been taught along the way.

The best time to buy is when prices are low.
A number of great people within our industry have ended up without jobs through no fault of their own.  There are good people available who would normally be gainfully employed.  These highly qualified and accomplished professionals know the ins and outs of our industry.  Their learning curve would be practically non-existent.

This presents a great opportunity for lumber and construction businesses.  Prices always rebound and usually with a vengeance.  I can't tell you when or how fast things will turn around, but it will get busy again.  Really great people are not going to stay on the market forever.  They could go to work for one of your competitors, start their own competing business, or move to another industry.  Keep your eyes open, ears to the ground, and snap them up!

When you visit the doctor would you rather see the intern fresh out of med school or the practitioner with skill and experience?
For those of you currently out of work, there is always something that you can do to improve yourself while searching for your next gig.  If you plan to stay in the wood flooring industry, do us all a big favor: go out and learn how to install, sand, and finish wood floors.  This is the best way to become the go-to person at any company that sells or distributes wood flooring, adhesives, finishes, sandpaper, and sundries.  Nothing earns respect more than a professional who can actually answer a question without faking it.

Keep yourself busy while you're sending out resumes.  Find a good wood flooring contractor and volunteer to work for slave wages (or less).  Get ready to have a genuine hard working experience, and you can probably cancel that fancy gym membership while you are really working for a living.  For inspectors who find yourselves with a lot of time on your hands please read the previous paragraph.  There is always something to learn or a new way to apply the information you have already mastered.