Dimensional Stability Of Hardwood Floors

However this is a very important aspect to consider especially if you live in an environment that has drastic humidity swings between the seasons.
Dimensional stability of hardwood floors. To determine whether a floor will hold up to humidity changes without cupping or extreme gaps you have to look at the the type of cut live sawn vs. Why stability is important when customers are looking at selecting a new hardwood product one of the last things they probably consider is the dimensional stability. Although the term dimensional stability primarily refers to the physical properties of a flooring product supplemental products such as thin set and adhesive substrates and entire buildings are subject to dimension change over time. Dimensional stability is a coefficient which shows the resistance of the wood to environmental changes such as moisture or temperature.
Wood stability measures wood shrinkage or swelling. The numbers in the chart below reflect the dimensional change coefficient for various species. There are other factors that are necessary to review. Hardness and stability chart highland hardwoods stability chart.
Appearance related attributes such as texture grain and color as well as mechanical properties like dimensional stability durability workability and ease in finishing. Wood flooring is a hygroscopic material which means that it is subject to dimensional change as a result of variations in moisture temperature and humidity within the surrounding environment. Flooring products vary in their susceptibility. And finally availability and cost.
Tangential change values will normally reflect changes in plain sawn wood. Most of us consider stability only in the sense of how much a certain measure of wood shrinks as it dries. A combination of qualities should be considered when selecting a species for flooring. Substantial changes can cause installation or product failure.
Here are the different qualities of a floor and an explanation of their impact on dimensional stability. The change co efficient can then be used to calculate expected shrinkage or swelling. Dimensional stability stability is one important aspect to consider when selecting the type of material to be used for flooring. Dimensional stability refers to how wood shrinks and swells in relation to moisture gain or loss.
At highland we carry only the finest quality hardwood lumber flooring decking available anywhere.