Drying Floor

[topchippyles]

43 minutes ago, Ringo said:

I was wondering about this, how long do you reckon they'd take to get down to the right content in a house? Currently the house is a building site so that' work fine, have about 3 months until I'm hoping to use them.

 

Thanks all for the useful info.

If the house is dry and a decent temp it should be 8 weeks. If there is loads of damp and plastering ect going on those slabs will suck up the moisture and will not dry until the heating comes on. 

 

Do you have a dry room where they can be laid flat at room temp to climatise. 

 

If you do lay the first slab flat then put a few spacer sticks between the next slab and lay on top so the air can get at them. I would put some weight on them if possible to stop them warping. 

Edited yesterday at 07:52 by topchippyles

[Squaredy]

On 10/09/2025 at 07:04, Ringo said:

I think its unlikely they will get dry enough just from being air dried, I live in Glasgow its pretty damp and the slabs are to be used in a kitchen so they need to be properly dry.

 

@Stubby It is a concern that the moisture would go into the slab yeah, I've no experience with drying floors so was hoping someone could tell me one way or the other. I assumed (hoped!) its harder to get moisture into the timber than out so it wouldn't be too big a problem though

You will need to get them in to a similar environment to the final installation and leave them there for (depending on the thickness) maybe a few months, or even a year.  From what you have said there would be no point in putting them in the house they will be used in whilst the build finishes.

 

If this is not feasible I think you need to consider kiln drying.  Ash is better behaved than oak, but if you can't acclimitise them thoroughly you should expect some movement (twisted doors) and if you are making them into work surfaces a bit of pulling away from the wall and maybe cupping.

 

You can make your own kiln with a suitable insulated box, heaters, fans and a couple of dehumidifiers.