# House humidity for wood



## DrillingThrough (Apr 29, 2014)

I have some white oak that I will be using to create some stave drums and it's the first time I've done anything with hardwood. My house is fairly humid (approx 70%). Should I lower this (buy a humidifier) or is this ok? The drums are for my personal use so it will be also be stored with approx 70% humidity.

I've only had the wood a few days and the moisture content is 2-4%. It was kiln dried.

What should I expect the wood to do in my house? Will the moisture content gradually increase until it stabilizes and then I can start working on it once it has settled? Any ideas what the moisture content will reach?


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## Semipro (Mar 22, 2013)

Peter
You should be fine ,just let the wood acclimate to the surroundings that it will be used in, it should not be a problem
By the way you need a dehumidifier


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I agree with John. Let it acclimate first. Keep checking the MC until it has stabilized.

The acceptable moisture levels in a house range from 30% RH to 70% RH. At either extreme, health problems can begin to occur. At the higher extreme, mold can start to grow. If the average humidity in your house is 70% then the RH in your bathroom and kitchen are probably higher and your bedroom may be higher by morning each night. I would look at ways to try and get it down at least 10%. If the outside humidity is lower then some ventilation will help.


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## rwl7532 (Sep 8, 2011)

Join ghostnote.net (drum builders forum) and ask your question there.


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## DrillingThrough (Apr 29, 2014)

Thanks for the info. It turns out that my humidity is actually around 50%. I got a new meter and the old one must have been too old. I got a dehumidifier anyway though as I do get a bit of mold around one window in the winter.


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