Page 5 - 2018-10-CFR Volume 121 - It's Not Always Moisture - October 2018

Here’s something different. How does the flooring material being installed effect what the substrate
does? Many new flooring materials, whether glued to the substrate or floating are not permeable. In
fact, if the flooring is not broadloom carpet which is permeable (meaning moisture vapor will pass
through it), then it is a hard surface material that moisture vapor won’t pass through. Therefore, the
moisture barrier, which is the flooring, is now on top of the concrete. Regardless of whether the manu-
facturer gives the flooring a moisture vapor emission or relative humidity limit at which it can be used,
the flooring doesn’t know that. Given conditions that will affect the flooring it could be influenced by
moisture, a moisture related condition or a chemical or mineral effect in the concrete.
Old existing material and new flooring are very often not a good
combination. Thinking that you may want to go over an existing
floor because it looks good and is down tight may seem like a
good idea but in reality it may not be. Consider that if the old
flooring is hard surface and installed below or on grade of an old
building it may have resisted moisture in the slab. As soon as you
cover the old flooring you have effectively created a damn pre-
venting the escape of moisture that was being exhausted. (See
the previous paragraph). Now you have two floors that failed.
This is your problem and you own the fix even if someone told
you to go ahead and do it. Never, ever, trust that someone tell-
ing you to go ahead guarantees you won’t have a failure.
Do adhesives stop the effects of mois-
ture or the moisture itself? The simple
answer is no. The adhesive may be
moisture resistant but nothing is water
proof. Moisture can permeate the adhe-
sive and effect the flooring. A pin hole
or void can allow moisture through as
well. When the flooring material blows
off the substrate but the adhesive is still
intact the installation has failed. Guess
who gets the blame? Of course, the
installer does. This is going to be an
increasing area of contention between
manufacturers, who don’t make the ad-
hesive, and flooring contractors when
an installation fails. My fear is that this
is going to be leverage for denying claims. We know this is happening in order to garner sales without
science or vetting of these miracle adhesives.
Reactions to chemicals in the concrete whether in the mix design or applied later.
To quote a concrete expert —“Silicates don’t work. They may create a water repellant surface but they
do little to suppress moisture vapor transmission”. If you think they do you also believe in the tooth fairy
which actually has more credence than adding a silicate in the concrete mix design or topically. This
fact can and has been proven over and over again. Just because you may not have had a problem
when silicates have been added or used doesn’t mean you won’t. You’ve been lucky up to now. Anyone
who doesn’t believe this, there is science to prove otherwise. There is no credible way of validating their
effectiveness and the net result is that the formation of the gel is inconsistent, poorly penetrated and
generally ineffective in creating even a waterproof concrete. All of these products are actually water-
proofing products, not vapor proofing products. Unfortunately, this issue continues to plague the flooring
industry.

5 Commercial Flooring Report October 2018