Moisture Vapor On Floor

Moisture vapor is a hot topic in any type of construction where you have concrete on above or below grade.

Moisture vapor on floor.

A moisture barrier is used when installing floors or walls in areas prone to dampness or excess moisture such as basements ceilings or crawl spaces source. Assessing moisture is one of the most important pre installation steps. There is much concern about whose responsibility it is to test the floor. Also known as a moisture barrier a floor vapor barrier is typically a sheet of plastic that slows moisture from moving through a wall or subfloor.

Moisture can be a problem when a floor that looks dry really isn t. 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. A low permeance vapor barrier or retarder can effectively keep below slab moisture from reaching the flooring system. While the industry doesn t have all the answers it can be said that moisture issues in concrete floors tend to arise from one of two sources.

Over the past 20 years the frequency of moisture vapor emission issues has increased. If given ample space warmth and ventilation water vapor will simply evaporate. In this technique a layer of sand with certain thickness is placed after that a strong and highly durable plastic such as polyethylene is laid then another layer of sand is installed above the plastic sheet. Moisture vapor emissions through a concrete slab in any building can contribute to costly floor good failures down time and slow construction schedules.

As with all concrete water vapor gets trapped under the concrete slab. Humidity warm and humid air condenses into surface moisture when it comes into contact with the cool surface of your concrete floor or slab. Floor moisture and moisture vapor can be cause for concern whether the slab is newly poured or many decades old and regardless of location. Concrete science is still evolving.

This product has requirements for vapor permeance when applied at a thickness of 18 mils. Concrete moisture and vapor tests are conducted to examine the presence and quantity of moisture in concrete floors and slabs. Faulty missing vapor barrier moisture from the ground can seep up and surface through the concrete if no vapor barrier has been installed or is faulty. The floor covering industry white paper position statement on moisture emission testing recommends independent testing rather than assuming the floor covering installer the general contractor or landlord developer will do the right thing and test the floor.

This is because moisture in concrete cause several problems for instance discoloration interrupt polymerization of products and lead to delamination of bonded coating systems.