ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Tarjinder Singh of Construction Products Group (UK) – manufacturers of Flowcrete and Tremco flooring products – gives an overview of the key factors behind a successful installation.
A good floor finish starts with a strong and solid substrate, that is properly prepared. It's therfore vital to carry out an early inspection to determine the condition of the substrate and identify the extent and nature of any cracking.
This approach is necessary to decide if issues with cracking and damage can be effectively routed out and treated. In certain cases, the inspection can also unearth more serious technical structural problems.
Careful attention should be paid to areas including upstands, as well as details such as gullies, drainage outlets and pipe penetrations. All of these are potential problem areas and need to be carefully considered in the process too.
An inspection can also help to pinpoint what the building was used for previously, and what likely contaminates from past use are embedded into the substrate.
This is important work to undertake, as the past uses a building was subjected to can emerge to cause issues in the flooring installation projects. For example, oils, chemicals, and other products used over the years could provide a hidden problem, which can be identified in an inspection of the substate.
DAMP FACTORS Damp can create significant problems and it will seriously threaten the success of any flooring installation. Key to managing the scale of the problem is to take hygrometer readings at intervals across the work area, to identify moisture levels.
Bear in mind that there is a strong possibility that properties dating from before the 1970s may have been built without a
34 | SUBFLOOR PREPARATION
proper damp proof membrane (DPM) under the subfloor itself or that any that were laid are failing or have since failed.
Where serious doubt about the existence of an adequate DPM persists, even where hygrometer readings are 75% Relative Humidity, then the installation of a well proven, fluid applied surface damp proof membrane is definitely needed.
MANAGING EXCESS MOISTURE Moisture in floors generally comes from one of two sources when the building is watertight. The first is related to newbuild projects, where there can be constructional moisture contained within the newly installed subfloor.
The second scenario is where there is no DPM within the subfloor construction or it is deemed ineffective. This may be due to it having degraded or expired over time. This situation is usually encountered in older buildings.
In existing buildings, it will be the ground floor which will be affected by excess moisture. In the case of a newbuild project, there is a chance that excess moisture can also affect the building’s upper floors as well as the ground floor.
Firstly, some research work is needed beforehand to establish the situation. This can be done by taking moisture readings as a starting point. There are various methods of testing and Tremco CPG can advise on the best way to achieve an accurate result.
Once readings have been taken, you can then decide what the next steps should be.
If it is found that readings are over 75% relative humidity, then the question can be asked – does the subfloor need an epoxy surface DPM or moisture vapour suppressant?
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