Joist moisture content

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6 Feb 2026
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United Kingdom
Due to various poor decisions by previous owners, the subfloor of my house has been damp and inadequately ventilated for many years. I've restored the ventilation but will have to repair/replace several rotten joists. Of the joists that are not rotten, some have quite high moisture content when tested with a metre. My understanding is <12% is ideal and >15% is when one should be concerned. I am hoping that they will dry out now that the subfloor is ventilated, but I really don't want to risk further issues later on. Is there, in anyone's experience, a moisture content above which it's better to replace a joist anyway, even if no rot/woodworm is currently evident?
 

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