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Check Wood Moisture Content

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Teñir una valla d | Tinción y sellado expertos

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What happens here

Before applying any stain or seal to raw wood surfaces like fences, decks, or pergolas, it is crucial to test the wood's moisture content. The presenter uses a Ryobi Bluetooth moisture meter by pressing its two prongs into the wood for 5 to 10 seconds. The reading is displayed on a connected smartphone app. The ideal moisture content for application is typically 16% or less, preferably 13% or less, and ideally 11% or less. This step ensures the wood is dry enough to properly absorb the oil-based stain, preventing future adhesion and penetration issues. Even old fences that appear dry should be tested, as new lumber often comes with high moisture content and needs time to dry.

Goal: Ensure wood is adequately dry for stain application.

Tools and materials

  • Ryobi Bluetooth Moisture Meter
  • Smartphone

What they say

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[Music] Alright, we're here getting ready to do a fence today. We're going to oil it with Expert Stainless Steel Self-Leveling Oil that doesn't dry out. Before doing any kind of fence, decking, pergola, anything that's raw wood, make sure you test the moisture content. If you don't check the moisture content, you'll have problems with the application in the future. The wood won't absorb the oil as it should. There will also be problems with adhesion and penetration. So I'm using a Ryobi moisture meter. It's Bluetooth. I can select the wood species I'm going to test. It has two probes, simple and easy to use. I'm going to press it right into the wood, wait 5 or 10 seconds, and it's going to give me a reading. Ideally, what you're looking for is 16% or less. I think ideally it's 13% or less. I'm looking for 11% or less. So here at zero. This fence was installed over a year ago. It went through all summer. It's completely dry. New fences always come out extremely wet. Let them dry. Make sure you test the moisture in order to verify why they have zero. In order to verify that it's going to be working, I'm going to test it on Somewhere I know there's moisture in the wood, and I even have a tree here that has a root right there, so I know my moisture meter is working there. Make sure you test your wood if you're doing a fence, deck, pergola, or any wood before treating it with Experts Stain & Seal Self-Leveling

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