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Serious question, what's your record for waiting on a subfloor to dry?
Mine is two full days in a basement with a broken dehumidifier.
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kimw166mo ago
Actually, that's not really how it works. A subfloor doesn't dry like paint. It reaches an equilibrium with the air in the room. In a damp basement without a dehumidifier, it might never get to a safe moisture level for installing flooring. Just waiting on the calendar isn't the move. You need to actually pull the moisture out of the air first. A working dehumidifier is non-negotiable in a space like that. Always check with a meter, not just a guess based on time.
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janap946mo ago
You're so right about needing a dehumidifier no matter what. My friend tried to install flooring in his basement without one. He just waited a few weeks thinking the subfloor was dry. The boards started warping within months because the air was still damp. @kimw16 is correct that you need to pull moisture from the air first. Always check with a meter, not just time.
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anna_henderson766mo ago
Most folks forget the concrete slab can suck up water from the dirt below. A dehumidifier only fixes the air, not the ground moisture seeping through. @janap94, your friend's warped boards might have had wet concrete underneath the whole time. You need a plastic sheet under the flooring to block that. Just drying the air isn't enough if the slab is damp.
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