MFMA Deems RH Testing Industry Standard

Effective Oct. 1, 2011, the Maple Flooring Manufacturing Association (MFMA), the trade group for maple sports flooring systems, will recognize relative humidity (RH) testing as the only standard slab moisture test prior to installing maple flooring, according to the MFMA website. Specifically, MFMA recommends that the RH level for a non glue-down maple floor system be 80% or lower before installation, and 75% or lower for glue-down systems. The MFMA says this test is superior to the calcium chloride moisture test, which can provide fluctuating results affected by changes in air temperature, humidity and vapor emissions. "With new technology and more standards in place, there is less room for variables and more confidence in the accuracy of determining the moisture content of concrete slabs," MFMA Executive Director Dan Heney said of RH testing.