RESILIENT FLOORING COVER ALL BASES
Jason Spangler, Wagner Meters' sales manager, explains why it is important to both know and document slab conditions for a damage-free resilient floor.
It’s the silent danger to a resilient floor. The one you might not know is there – until adhesives come apart or the floor begins to bubble.
The culprit? Moisture.
Excess moisture deep within the concrete slab may not creep into the flooring above until weeks or months after the installation. But you can be sure you’ll hear from your clients when the problems begin.
The alternative is much better. Perform accurate moisture testing of the subfloor and carefully document it before installing a resilient floor. That documentation will be your assurance of a job well done – and your protection if a problem occurs.
But first, a little more on the importance of proper concrete moisture testing.
PREVENTING MOISTURE PROBLEMS Concrete slabs can be sneaky. They may look completely dry yet be holding moisture below the surface. The reason is that concrete dries from the surface first, and moisture from deep within the concrete takes longer to migrate to the top.
This moisture, if not dried, can cause resilient floors to fail. The excess moisture carries alkaline salts and contaminants that affect the flooring’s adhesives. The result is problems like:
● Adhesives coming apart. ● Bubbles or bumps. ● Colour changes. ● Mould or mildew. ● Build-up from the alkaline salts. ● Shrinkage or joints opening.
This is why The Resilient Floor Covering Institute warns that: “resilient flooring manufacturers require that all concrete substrates, both new and old, be tested for moisture content to determine if the concrete is acceptable under the manufacturer’s installation requirements.”
In the UK, The CFA Guide to Contract Flooring advises that testing with a concrete moisture meter or surface hygrometer is “the most commonly approved method of testing the dryness of the base, prior to the installation of floorcoverings.”
However, these surface methods don’t give the most accurate picture of the whole slab.
Relative humidity testing, which involves placing probes into the concrete at 40% depth, is becoming more common for getting an accurate picture of the slab, especially in commercial situations where stakes are high. This kind of testing, approved by ASTM standard F2170, confirms that the slab is dry and ready for a floor on top. Then, all that’s left to do is document the job well done.
22 EASY AND EFFECTIVE
DOCUMENTATION Testing your concrete slab with a tool like Wagner Meters’ Rapid RH L6 goes beyond just getting accurate results. You can also document your results with ease by using our free DataMaster L6 app.
Gone are the days of meticulously recording data on a chart by hand. Now, your Rapid RH test sensors can connect to the app via Bluetooth. And with the additional DataGrabber device, it’ll even take readings automatically.
With the app, you can: ● Store data securely.
● Add photos of the jobsite and flooring plans, plus any job metadata like name, address, or hole depth.
● Use mapping functions to locate jobsite sensors. ● Record audio memos or add extra notes. ● Download and print reports. ● Email read-only reports to clients. ● Upload job data to
f2170reports.com.
This way, you can keep track of each flooring job with ease. You’ll protect your installation work with proper moisture testing, and you’ll have the evidence to show for your effort. Say goodbye to resilient flooring moisture damage.
How could the Rapid RH L6 and the accompanying app change the game for your business? Find out by visiting our website below or calling us worldwide toll-free at (844) 574-0228.
WagnerMeters.com
Keep track of relative humidity test results with the DataMaster L6, an app designed to work together with the Rapid RH L6.
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