Moisture Barrier For Concreat Floor

A concrete floor with a too high moisture content can wreak havoc on a vinyl floor.

Moisture barrier for concreat floor. The difficulty of course is that if the moisture barrier is compromised in any way moisture from the slab beneath can still damage the flooring or finish. But when flooring is laid directly on the concrete it effectively creates a watertight and airtight barrier. Months or years from now the water table link might rise and the water will pass through concrete in water vapors with a. But they have also proven to be beneficial in reducing failures of moisture sensitive flooring materials adhesives and coatings caused by excessive emission of moisture vapor from concrete slabs.

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. Commonly concrete floors are vulnerable to moisture and suffer from different detrimental influence of moisture such as lifting tile off the floor rotting hardwood damping carpet coating delamination and many more. The majority of commercial and industrial buildings are constructed with a concrete substrate laid over prepared soil called slab on grade. A concrete floor seems like the perfect base for a vinyl floor installation.

A vapor barrier is not the same as an underlayment. If you have a concrete floor that s in continuous contact with a source of moisture you re going to have problems. Floor covering manufacturers whether producers of tile wood carpet or high performance floor coatings publish the maximum allowable moisture content of the concrete over which their flooring products can be installed based on results of various astm. This is why a vapor barrier under concrete is essential.

For floating floors manufacturers often recommend installing a moisture barrier between the subfloor and the floating floor to prevent moisture intrusion. If given ample space warmth and ventilation water vapor will simply evaporate. 2 4 how to install vapor barrier on concrete floor under laminate flooring. Americover has a high performance 15 mil vapor barrier for installation under concrete floors and slabs that will retard moisture migration and radon from escaping through the surface of the concrete floor.

15 mil vapor barrier by americover. These problems are not only disrupting functions of the building due to maintenance operations but also costly. A moisture barrier may or may not be needed to insure good adhesion of your vinyl floor so do your homework to avoid problems later on down the road. It helps reduce mold and condensation in buildings.

Here are some of the company s and their products. There is always water underneath the ground while it might not be near the surface it is there. Vapor barriers are a way to keep moisture from getting into the concrete. Therefore it is recommended to implement necessary.