Moisture meters can only check the moisture near the surface of a concrete slab which is not sufficient for predicting how the slab will react to having sealant applied or other building materials installed over it.
Moisture barriercabinet concrete floor.
Any excess water vapor will get trapped between the concrete slab and the floor.
With a typical concrete floor about a quarter to a third of the original water content will evaporate which could be 6 to 9 l m 2 for a 150 thick slab.
One of the simplest most economical test methods for determining whether there may be moisture in concrete is the astm d 4263 concrete moisture test.
If given ample space warmth and ventilation water vapor will simply evaporate.
You can buy a barrier separately or get underlayment with a moisture barrier built in.
Moisture builds up and has nowhere to go.
The top few inches could be bone dry but the deeper layers of the slab could be holding massive amounts of water.
To use the moisture meter clean the concrete and brush away any dust on a smooth area.
It is used for slabs that suffered moisture problems due to lack of moisture prevention means or failure of moisture prevention system.
In this method damping agent such as liquid epoxy damp proof membrane is applied for an existing concrete floor system.
Before pouring cement builders will mix it with excess water meant to dry out over time.
Because concrete is permeable ground moisture can slowly move upward in the form of vapor and adversely affect anything that rests on top of the concrete.
Apply damping agent for existing concrete floor.
This gives you your reading and allows you to make better judgement on your flooring choices.
The sheet is left in place for 72 hours then a dewpoint hygrometer is used to test the level of moisture that is in the air under the sheet.
The plastic sheet method was developed by astm international and involves taping a plastic sheet to the surface of the concrete to create a vapor proof seal around the plastic.
But when flooring is laid directly on the concrete it effectively creates a watertight and airtight barrier.
If any water vapor penetrates through a concrete subfloor the vapor diffusion retarder slows the movement of the moisture preventing damage to the floor.
Then turn the moisture meter on and if you hold it firmly you ll compress the spring loaded contacts on the base of the device.
Flooring moisture barriers are placed beneath the floor s underlayment.