A few years in the past, a buyer of mine known as me to take a look at her mom’s hardwood flooring. She instructed me there was some critical buckling and warping, however nothing might have ready me for what I used to be about to see. The stable hardwood was put in by a normal contractor who didn’t account for moisture. Consequently, this wooden ground appeared just like the waves of Lake Michigan. In some areas, this ground buckled 10” off the ground. The drive of the hardwood buckling truly broke the wall base in some locations. I carried out some moisture testing (relevant ASTM take a look at strategies), and sadly, found that moisture was the wrongdoer. For some professionals, managing substrate moisture is usually a thriller. Let’s unravel a few of it right here.
So, you’ve carried out your testing in keeping with ASTM take a look at strategies and found moisture (or the potential for moisture) in your substrate, however what are your choices to cope with it? The reply will not be all the time easy as a result of there are plenty of variables, together with subfloor kind, set up technique, and extra. After all, crucial factor you possibly can advocate is to cease the moisture at its supply at any time when attainable. Assuming that has been tried, and the state of affairs hasn’t improved, the business has a number of alternative ways to mitigate or gradual the passage of moisture, so let’s begin with the best treatment of excessive moisture adhesive.
Trendy adhesives may be a solution to moisture current in a substrate, particularly concrete. Generally particular trowel notches are used, or spacers are embedded within the glue to assist to realize a sure movie or layer thickness in the course of the set up course of. Nonetheless, sure care have to be taken to grasp if this utility will obtain the outcomes you’re hoping for. Some excessive moisture adhesives declare to manage moisture, whereas others merely tolerate it and don’t protect your hardwood flooring itself. It is also vital to learn the directions and the guarantee literature to ensure the concrete slab is ready correctly, doesn’t require profiling, and the appliance strategies are appropriate earlier than you decide to this technique. Excessive-moisture adhesives typically are dearer than normal adhesives, however might be a part of your answer.
With regards to concrete substrates, true moisture mitigation usually is taken into account one of the best line of protection in opposition to moisture vapor emissions coming from the slab itself. That is very true of the older slabs the place an under-slab vapor barrier is probably not current or has degraded because of age, or perhaps a new concrete slab the place the added moisture content material, drainage, or grading, in addition to environmental circumstances, might contribute to the issue. Some merchandise promote simple utility with out the necessity for grinding or shot blasting to realize a profile, however this may be deceptive. As soon as once more, be sure you learn all of the set up particulars, together with the cleansing directions as a result of there are numerous contaminants and impurities on the floor of a concrete slab that can stop a moisture mitigation product from doing its job correctly. The method of moisture mitigation utility can vary from less complicated to extra concerned, however typically, they’re all teachable should you’re prepared to study. Your native producer’s rep can present coaching to get one of the best outcomes. These are among the more-common varieties of moisture mitigation techniques.
It is very important have your moisture testing outcomes so you possibly can examine them to the answer and make certain the product will meet or exceed your take a look at outcomes.
- Acrylic and latex-type merchandise usually are cheaper and should provide some safety, however solely as much as a sure stage.
- Urethane options can provide even increased safety and generally apply in a single to 2 coats.
- Epoxy two-component techniques provide one of the best safety as much as one hundred pc relative humidity usually. Sure precautions have to be taken throughout set up for correct disposal and security. Epoxy utility is one thing that may be realized and is an extra talent set that may provide help to stand out amongst your competitors.
- Plastic or poly sheeting nonetheless is utilized in correctly ready crawlspaces the place hardwood will probably be put in over plywood or OSB substrates. This can be a easy and cost-effective technique, however guarantee any flashing, overlapping, or taping of the seams is finished completely with no locations for the moisture to flee. Additionally, listen if any cross air flow is current as advisable by NWFA tips or producer suggestions.
With regards to conventional plywood subfloors, there’s a newer technique out there known as liquid-applied vapor retarder. Historically, hardwood flooring have had both tar paper or an identical semi-permeable vapor retarder put in onto the plywood subfloor utilizing staples or fasteners. Apart from the extra time putting in the paper, if a glue help was required or advisable by the producer, previously, you had solely two choices.
The primary choice is to take away this vapor retarder utterly as a result of a bead of adhesive on high of a slip sheet of paper doesn’t do any good. I admit I used to be by no means keen on this technique as a result of I’ve now eradicated the safety I had from moisture within the substrate. The opposite choice is to chop slits into the vapor retarder to permit the adhesive out of your glue help to contact the plywood substrate beneath. The issue right here is apparent: we now have slits or holes in our vapor retarder anyplace we now have utilized the adhesive.
These up to date strategies for semi-permeable vapor retarders permit for a single coat utilized to the plywood or OSB, usually dry inside an hour, after which permit for the usage of penetrating hardwood fasteners, together with staples or cleats with the addition of glue help. Whereas these merchandise value greater than a paper roll, an excessive amount of time may be saved by eliminating the set up of the paper itself and having a extra stable technique on your glue help hardwood installations. Fixing the widespread issues of substrate moisture doesn’t need to be a thriller when you might have entry to a wide range of options.
Jeremy Waldorf is regional enterprise supervisor for Schönox HPS North America, LLC in Michigan and Toledo, Ohio. He may be reached at jwaldorf@hpsubfloors.com.
