A model of the moisture diffusion in wood under isothermal conditions taking into consideration coating of the surface of a specimen is presented in a 2-D-in-space formulation. A reliability of a corresponding 1-D model is investigated for a simulation of moisture movement in 2-D medium. This paper presents a technique to determine the width as well as the degree of edges coating of the specimen making the 1-D model relevant for 2-D medium. This technique bases on the computer simulation of 2-D moisture diffusion to estimate the reliability of the corresponding 1-D model. In the technique, approximate coefficients of the diffusion and surface emission may be employed if accurate values of these coefficients are unknown.