Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - moisture meters

Hi all I am looking into moisture meters. Not specifically for woodworking but I thought here you all may know about these. They are really expensive but my current situation may warrant it. I want to check hardwood flooring,drywall and trim ect.. All this is installed. I think I have a moisture issue and would like to fix before mold gets to bad which I think I already smell. I see the cheaper ones will these do or do I need to get the more pricey ones? Also do the non-destructive ones work well or do you need the pin ones. All help would be truly appreciated. Thanks !!

If you detect musty odors, you do not need a moisture meter, that time has already passed. Give us more info as to your problem, basement, or something else. Why waste money on something that will only verify what your nose is telling you.

moisture meters are not that much money or vary invasive. But from the sounds of things, it will not help you. You should always check the moisture content of wood prior to working with it, but that is make sure you are not going to get some major exspansion and contraction going on.

If installing hardwood flooring, a moisture meter is a must. Any installer worth his salt has a moisture meter. Flooring should be delivered 4-5 days prior to installation and placed in rooms where to be installed. Stack boxes no more than 3-4 high and open ends. Doors & windows should be installed and HVAC up and running. Temp at about 70 degrees and humidity within 35-55% and kept there year round. Basement should be dry & well ventilated. Crawl space should be dry and well ventilated and polyvinylchloride (plastic) covering soil and overlapped and taped and run up sides of foundation and sealed with silicone caulk.

Same applies for all hardwood products including panels, trim, cabinetry, etc. Acclimate and maintain temp & humidity. Keep it at 35-55%. Follow manufacturer's site prep and acclimation and installation instructions. Otherwise, you avoid warranty.

I am in a garden unit and yes I seem to smell something but do not know where it is. I have a feeling but wanted to know where I had to start. (This is in reply to a moisture meter question that I had ) So a moisture meter may come in handy. I had posted here knowing that you all would know of those. Thanks for all your help but what is a good meter for this app.?
Trying to figure out which wall to get into or which room of hardwood floor to remove. Thanks all have a great day !

If you want to check a wall for moisture, you will definitely need a good meter and not just a surface scanner.

I use 2 different moisture meters.

The most convenient is a GE Potenture (close spelling?). It is a relatively deep (1/4" to 3/8") surface scanner that also has probes (about 3/4") for specific readings. - Very handy.

The other is as Delmhorst with the long "EIFS" to read the interior moisture of the wall components (like wet fiberglass). The EIFS name is from the common application of finding mold in EIFD wall systems, but is also appropriate for probling from the exterior or interior. It takes some experience to interpret the readings and relate them to the method of construction.

You do not really have to poke a bunch of holes once you get experience. Thanks to the predictable, horrible job of installing windows by carpenters (60% wrong), you can find wet areas with just a couple of probes to determine the extent.

If you just have a one time occasion, it might be best to find a moisture intrusion specialst/engineer that works for you and is definitely not associated with a mold remediation company. A engineer works for you and will give a diagnosis and a plan of attack.