Then after the basement seemed to have dried out a bit he tested the moisture condition of the floor slab using the surface based calcium chloride test astm f1869.
If i find moisture before doing basement floors.
Concrete science is still evolving.
Commonly concrete floors are vulnerable to moisture and suffer from different detrimental influence of moisture such as lifting tile off the floor rotting hardwood damping carpet coating delamination and many more.
Existing homes with extreme moisture problems may require exterior basement waterproofing a costly proposition because dirt must be excavated from the foundation to allow sealers and or membranes to be applied to the walls.
The question was how this had impacted the moisture condition of the concrete slab.
This basic tutorial will help you evaluate your basement s challenges and weigh each material s pros and.
Hardwood floors the maximum subfloor moisture level will be either 12 or 13 depending upon the manufacturer.
The contractor brought in dehumidifiers to address the basement s wetness.
Basement flooring 101 a surprising number of materials are suitable for basement flooring.
Then the hardwood flooring moisture content must be within 2 4 of the subfloor moisture.
Interior membrane or coating is a temporary solution.
Cleaning concrete flooring before you wash a concrete floor begin by clearing away everything from the basement floor such as boxes furniture and other items.
Second find out how many readings are being made and where theyre being made.
Moisture meters are good tools for getting a feel for relative moisture content over a wide area by simply using the dial that reads zero to 100 and spot checking points all over the floor.
For that matter don t do anything.
If the basement floor is wet hire a professional find the source of the problem and fix it before doing anything.
Floor moisture and moisture vapor can be cause for concern whether the slab is newly poured or many decades old and regardless of location.
Therefore it is recommended to implement necessary.
While the industry doesn t have all the answers it can be said that moisture issues in concrete floors tend to arise from one of two sources.
2 for plank 3 wide or more hardwood and 4 for strip 2 wide hardwood.
If you re building a new home be sure to have exterior waterproofing applied before the contractor backfills soil.
By drying out the basement air moisture is drawn into the basement more rapidly causing efflorescence and spalling of concrete and further damage to interior finishes.
If you can t afford to fix the problem or don t want to invest the money do not insulate the floor.
This can sometimes help to pinpoint trouble spots in a relatively short time.
It is appealing to solve a basement moisture problem with a membrane or coating on the inside.