How wet does it get?

For a long while, I managed to convince myself that I didn't need a moisture meter. I know that wood moves and appreciate the importance of gauging the moisture content of materials before building with them. But since I don't make my living laying hardwood floors or crafting fine furniture, I figured that other tools needed to come first. That was before I found a moisture meter for only $40 (most cost twice that amount) and decided to finally add one to my toolbox.

I've since discovered just how quickly this little black box can earn its keep.

What the catalogs don't tell you is that DIYers can find more uses for moisture meters than most woodworkers. In fact, I've relocated my meter from the shop to my tool belt. I use it to chase down roof leaks, to estimate the age of water stains I uncovered while replacing a toilet, or to suss out whether the lumber at my home center is truly "kiln-dried." I even gauged the moisture content of a some recently-delivered hardwood flooring to be sure that the strips were properly acclimated before installation. (I still dream of metering the piles of cherry and oak stacked in my shop, but those projects can wait.)

To use this meter, simply stick the pair of small metal pins into the material and press the switch. An LED readout indicates moisture content between 6 and 24 percent. More expensive meters can detect a wider moisture-content range (a few even work without the probes), but for a homeowner, this tool is more than adequate. The manufacturer says the meter is accurate to about 2 percent, which is close enough for me. To double check my readings when testing non-wood materials, I’ll start by test-probing a small scrap of dry material, poke the potential problem spot, and then compare the results. So far, the only downside is that the truth (like that funny-looking stain I found in the attic) sometimes hurts. But finding a fixing a small problem is cheaper and easier than dealing with a major catastrophe somewhere down the road.