Help getting house dry enough to finish floors

10 years ago

We are building a house with a sealed crawl and the sealing will be done next week. We waited until free the hvac, electricians and plumbers completed so the vapor barrier would not get damaged. The hardwood floors were installed earlier when it was very dry and the conditions were good for hardwood installation. Now it is time to sand and finish the floors and with all this rain we have been having, cool temperatures, windows open during the day for the subs, a crawl space with no cross ventilation, the house is very humid (73% according to my newly installed thermostat). It will be a couple of weeks before we have temporary power to run the hvac system.

I have a dehumidifier running continuously in the house and draining in the sink. Should I put another dehumidifier in the crawl space or set up box fans at the two crawl space doors to help the moisture exit the house?

The guys that are finishing the floors measured the floors in the house at a moisture level of 10-12 and the subfloor at 16. Way too damp to finish the floors.... And I don't want to rush them. I would rather wait for the conditions to be right and be happy with the finished floors forever.

Thanks for any recommendations you may have!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

millworkman
10 years ago
The HVAC should have been running well before the floors were installed. The floors need to acclimate for 3-4 weeks with the house at normal temperatures and humidity and the wood just stacked properly in the house.
live_wire_oak
10 years ago
You're going to have problems. The floors shouldn't have been installed. The HVAC needs to be running prior to floor installation, not just finishing. Just look at threeapples saga to see your future. Your GC should bite the bullet now and remove the floors, turn on the HVAC for a month, then reinstall and finish.
Related Professionals
Franklin Architects & Building Designers · California Home Builders · Ellicott City Home Builders · Griffith Home Builders · Arlington General Contractors · Chillicothe General Contractors · Columbus General Contractors · Country Walk General Contractors · Kailua Kona General Contractors · Longview General Contractors · Marysville General Contractors · Mount Holly General Contractors · San Bruno General Contractors · The Hammocks General Contractors · West Mifflin General Contractors
threeapples
10 years ago
I'm with live wire. I wish ours would have been done differently and hope you can stop yourself from going down our path.
LOTO
10 years ago
I hope this works out for you but if it is 73% humidity in your home the crawl space will likely be much higher especially if it is a dirt or even gravel crawl.

I went ahead and poured concrete in my crawlspace and it was near $7,000.00 compared to $11,000.00 to encapsulate the crawl. I have been running a de-humidifier and a fan in the crawl since the roof went on and it is staying nice and dry with about 45% humidity now.
The majority of my home will have hardwood and there is no way I am installing it until the HVAC has been running for several weeks.
.Will your sealed crawlspace be heated and cooled? I am not an expert on this but at the very least I would think your crawl would need a dehumidifier.
Good luck with this.