Moisture Barrier On Concrete Floor

How to install vapor barrier on concrete floor under laminate flooring.

Moisture barrier on concrete floor.

If your floor covering is bonded to concrete using adhesives with water latex and acrylic bases excess moisture will emulsify and weaken the adhesive formula causing. A concrete floor seems like the perfect base for a vinyl floor installation. Vapor barriers are a way to keep moisture from getting into the concrete. If you have a concrete floor that s in continuous contact with a source of moisture you re going to have problems.

If your concrete floor is finished with vinyl paint wood vct or carpeting moisture and vapor mitigation is even more important. This is why a vapor barrier under concrete is essential. Before rolling out the underlayment be sure to sweep vacuum and remove all debris on the substructure. Here are some of the company s and their products.

Very hot and humid climates may benefit from an exterior vapor barrier that keeps outside humidity from penetrating into walls. A concrete vapor barrier is simply a sheet of polyethylene plastic visqueen placed directly on top of the sub grade before the concrete floor or slab is poured to help keep moisture from the soil from passing up through the concrete. It helps reduce mold and condensation in buildings. A concrete floor with a too high moisture content can wreak havoc on a vinyl floor.

A vapor barrier is not the same as an underlayment. A moisture barrier may or may not be needed to insure good adhesion of your vinyl floor so do your homework to avoid problems later on down the road. 15 mil vapor barrier by americover. Aci 302 2r 06 guide for concrete floors that receive moisture sensitive flooring materials states that a concrete slab on ground without a vapor retarder barrier directly beneath it may have a final relative humidity profile that does not benefit from any initial drying.

Below grade walls and floor slabs transmit ground moisture through concrete walls or slabs. Concrete moisture damages floor coverings. Americover has a high performance 15 mil vapor barrier for installation under concrete floors and slabs that will retard moisture migration and radon from escaping through the surface of the concrete floor. Vapor barriers have been associated with certain concrete slab on grade problems including curling and cracking.