Moisture Sensitive Flooring

Recent trends towards restricting volatile organic compounds vocs in flooring adhesives have increased the number of moisture sensitive adhesives used.

Moisture sensitive flooring.

This paper will compare the composition of newer moisture sensitive flooring adhesives with that of their voc containing predecessors and describe the properties of the adhesives that reduce overall durability. Aci 303 2r guide for concrete slabs that receive moisture sensitive flooring materials 2015 american concrete institute. The problems include claims for total failure of the flooring system construction schedule delays caused by slow concrete drying and lawsuits involving indoor air quality. Moisture related adhesive failures are a problematic reality in the flooring business.

The rh of concrete is a good barometer of when the concrete is safe for moisture sensitive floorcoverings such as vinyl tile resilient sheet flooring linoleum vinyl backed carpet and cork and wood flooring. Consequentially applied flooring materials can delaminate buckle blister and crack. It is currently up to architects engineers floor covering installers. Linoleum is regarded as a water resistant material but not waterproof.

Because wood is an insulator and water is a conductor the less moisture there is in wood the more resistance there will be and vice versa. As a hygroscopic material wood will absorb or release moisture until it reaches equilibrium with its surroundings. Some common issues that can occur when wood flooring isn t installed at its equilibrium moisture content emc include. Aci 308r 16 guide to external curing of concrete 2016 american concrete institute.

Wood flooring can be significantly affected by an excess or lack of moisture. Pinless meters use electromagnetic radio frequencies to scan hardwood floors to a fixed depth. This paper will compare the composition of newer moisture sensitive flooring adhesives with that of their voc containing predecessors and describe the properties of the adhesives that reduce overall durability. Consequentially applied flooring materials can delaminate buckle blister and crack.

From contractors and construction managers flooring installers and adhesive manufacturers right down to the facility owners and users everyone experiences the fall out. Even laminate flooring sold as water resistant or waterproof usually comes with the caution that spills and splashes need to be wiped up immediately. Moisture sensitive flooring decides the race between the tortoise and the hare when a flooring fails due to moisture related problems nobody wins. Pin meters use electrical resistance to measure the presence of moisture in wood flooring.

Linoleum sheets or tile.