Hygroscopic
Describes a material that exchanges moisture with the surrounding air continuously, rather than reaching a fixed state.
Wood is hygroscopic: it takes on and gives off moisture with the air around it for as long as it exists. It never stops. A floor installed in February is in a different moisture state in August, and back again the following winter.
This is the single property that makes every other rule in hardwood installation necessary. Moisture testing, acclimation, expansion gaps and a stated humidity operating range all exist because the material is never inert.
Related
Terms this one depends on
- AnisotropicDescribes a material whose properties differ by direction — in wood, movement across the grain is significant while movement along it is minimal.
- Moisture contentThe proportion of water in wood or in a subfloor, measured before installation and used to decide whether the two are compatible.
- AcclimationThe period during which flooring material equalises to the conditions of the room it will be installed in — a minimum of 72 hours, in the actual conditioned space.
- Relative humidityThe amount of water vapour in the air relative to what that air could hold at its temperature — the environmental variable a hardwood floor actually responds to.
Provenance
Where this definition comes from
Framework pillars this term is material to
If you are dealing with this on a real floor: floor restoration, or get a fixed written price after a measure.
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