Page 2 - 2018-03-CFR Volume 114 - Old Versus New Concrete Slabs - Staying Out Of Trouble With Both - March 2018

New slabs can also be of lightweight concrete which is highly hydrated The experts at LGM
as is the aggregate that goes into it. Lightweight concrete can take
months to dry as opposed to normal weight concrete under ideal con- specialize in consultation,
ditions but in fast track construction when do you find ideal conditions? correction and resolution for
And concrete never really dries completely; there is always some flooring complaints, claims,
moisture present and active just because it lives in a world made up of installation and performance
moisture. Concrete can be called a living material because it reacts to
stimuli and undergoes changes such as the gain and loss of moisture issues.
and expansion and contraction. So if you think that once it sets up
and “dries” it’s set in place; think again. Working with new concrete No issue is too big, too small
slabs is a challenge as each one is different, subject to varying mixes or too far away for us to
and finishes and additives to achieve the desired end product. If
you’re working on a large project you should get involved in the Divi- handle.
sion 3 construction meetings so you are aware of the concrete and
can give input as to finish and additives that may compromise the in- All ads are interactive. Just
stallation of the flooring materials. Being involved helps you, the GC click on the ad to enter their
and the owner and you may be able to save them some time and mon-
ey with your input. This is especially website.
critical with the installation of non-
permeable flooring like sheet goods
used in health care. And there is no
magic bullet product of any kind be it
treatment, adhesive or anything else
that can guarantee that you won’t have
a failure if you use this, that or the other
thing. Installing on a new slab also re-
quires you do moisture testing, water
droplet tests and mat bond tests, espe-
cially for non-permeable sheet goods
but also for any non-permeable hard
surface products. And what if you’re not
gluing the product down? Then the slab
has to be level and leveled if it isn’t,
tested for moisture because moisture
will still be there and the floating flooring
is actually going to be floating over any
moisture condensing beneath it which
will instigate the growth of mold, mildew
and bacteria. And you thought the party
was over just because you don’t have to
use glue. You also should be con-
cerned about the slump rate of new concrete which simply put deter-
mines how wet the concrete is at the time of the pour. This infor-
mation is recorded and should be available to you on request. Lots to
know but important you know it to avoid trouble.

Page Layout By: Anita S. Drennon

2 Commercial Flooring Report March