STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS 59 Moisture management
Unmanaged excess subfloor moisture is the leading cause of floor failure and frequently results in delays to projects, major inconvenience and expense when remedial work is required. Stephen Boulton at F. Ball and Co provides crucial advice to guard against such issues
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nchecked subfloor moisture, whether residual construction moisture or rising damp, can attack flooring adhesives and floorcoverings, causing wood to warp and damaging textile floorcoverings by promoting mould and bacterial growth. Not only can this ruin the finished appearance of a flooring installation, but it can potentially cause floorcoverings to de-bond, resulting in complete floor failure, and present a health hazard. F. Ball’s technical service department frequently receives enquiries from contractors who have been called to rectify a recent flooring installation where floorcoverings have begun to lift as a result of unmanaged excess subfloor moisture, and our regional technical representatives often attend site visits where this is the case. To prevent floor failure due to excess subfloor moisture, it is important to take
ADF JUNE 2022
time to determine subfloor moisture levels and deploy an appropriate moisture management solution, where necessary, prior to installing floorcoverings.
Testing
It is recommended that a moisture test is undertaken as part of any flooring installation, having first prepared the subfloor so that it is suitably smooth, sound and free of contaminants. If the subfloor Relative Humidity (RH) levels exceed 75% (65% if wood floorcoverings are to be installed), a moisture management solution will be required to prevent excess subfloor moisture attacking adhesives and damaging floorcoverings. A quick, non-intrusive way to identify the presence of subfloor moisture is to use a handheld radio frequency moisture metre. If the device indicates the presence of moisture in the subfloor, further testing
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It is recommended that a moisture test is undertaken as part of any flooring installation
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