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PSA: I was wrong about skipping moisture barriers on concrete
I always skipped adding a moisture barrier on concrete slab jobs to save time. But after a client's laminate floor swelled up from moisture, I read up on it and saw the science. Now I'm curious, what's your go-to method for testing slab moisture before install?
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nina_jenkins7mo ago
My friend Mike in Toledo had a warehouse job where the concrete felt damp. He used those moisture test kits with the discs, but they came back low so he installed vinyl plank without a barrier. Big mistake, the planks warped within a year from the slab sweating. Now he rents a meter to check the moisture right in the concrete, drills a couple small holes to get a real reading. He won't start a floor without that step anymore.
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xena_fox397mo ago
My old flat in Phoenix had a slab that felt fine, but we used the calcium chloride test and it showed low. The bamboo flooring cupped anyway. Now I only trust a digital moisture meter for concrete, the kind you push pins into the slab. Why trust a kit when you can see the real number?
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irisjenkins7mo ago
That point about seeing the real number hits home. I was all about the calcium chloride tests for years. Then I had a vinyl job fail because the kit said it was dry but the slab wasn't. Now I use a pin meter every time, no exceptions.
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