Ash staircase

[topchippyles]

Hi guys,Looking for a bit of advise on timber moisture content,I have got hold of some real nice ash trees which have been drying outside for a couple of years,I have a mate looking for a new stairs in ash so have checked the moisture content and its between 16 and 17.5 %,It has been cut and banded up for a few weeks in a dry barn so my question is would it be dry enough to use,Every thing i seem to read says it should be 12% or lower but the stairs is for a new build house which will have a lot of moisture as it new.

 

[Beau]

I wouldn't want to be making joints in wood any wetter than 12%. If you do as it dries the joints will open up leading to problems. I hear what you are saying about a new build presuming it's being wet plastered and not dry lined but 12% is what you need IMO. If you can find someone with a kiln you could get those boards down from 17-12% pretty quick

 

[topchippyles]

House is being plastered out in the next couple of weeks so will be a lot of moisture as you can imagine.

 

[Beau]

I didn't take my above advise on our build with our doors. I made them from larch which was reading around 15% and thought I would be fine. Some of the door panels have shrunk so much (8-10mm) they have come out of the grooves. All my once perfect mitres on the styles have unsightly gaps showing

 

[Beau]

House is being plastered out in the next couple of weeks so will be a lot of moisture as you can imagine.

You dont want nice new stairs exposed to plaster! They would end up with orrible stains on them. Looks like the weather is set fair for the next few weeks if you are in the south so drying out the plaster may not take too long

 

[Just4Fun]

I never know the moisture content of the wood I use. Instead, I weigh some samples every few days until the weight stabilises. If the weight is changing the size will be also, and when the weight is (more or less) constant the wood won't be moving a lot.

 

[Suffolkboy]

If you like your stairs really creeky and with loads of holes for spiders to live in then make them now.

Yeah, the moisture content in the house now will be high but it will no doubt dry out and in that time so will the stairs and because of that the wood will shrink.

Personally I wouldn't risk putting that much of my time into a project to risk it when you could wait for them to dry out (even 6 months or more if needs be) and do a proper job when you know the wood is stable.

 

[topchippyles]

Spoke to customer today and happy to wait.

 

[Adam9453]

Yeah 12% would be our top end moisture content level, ideally lower.

 

[Beau]

Spoke to customer today and happy to wait.

Good news.

I had a job where the client wanted some solid wood kitchen tops fitted into a new development in the middle of winter. On the first one not all the external doors were on and we did point out there would be problems. They insisted we pushed ahead so fitted the units and cut the top to shape but not final fitting. Came back after the weekend and they were bowed to bu@@ery. Show client and then they got it. Waited for the heating to go in and up and running and tops came back to level then we fitted them.

Some times you just cant rush these things.

 

[topchippyles]

I always get it in writing if a customer really pushes something when advised different as had fingers burned before.

 

[Bm101]

Faced with a similar issue last winter doing a loft conversion on my gaff we got round the problem by not being able to afford a lovely ash staircase so used an mdf one instead and got round the moisture issue that way.
Sometimes you need to think outside the box eh?
Cheers
Chris