Why Is It Important to Test for Moisture in Concrete?

We’ve men­tioned this before, but since it’s incred­i­bly impor­tant it bears say­ing again: con­crete may be durable and strong, but it’s not a main­te­nance-free mate­r­i­al. It still needs to be prop­er­ly cared for in order to deliv­er max­i­mum per­for­mance and value.

And, as a part of your main­te­nance check-list, it is cru­cial to test for mois­ture in your con­crete slab.

What Is an Accept­able Mois­ture Lev­el in Concrete

Not only does mois­ture in con­crete affect how long it takes for the con­crete to cure and dry, it also can cre­ate mold and mildew through­out your build­ing. But mois­ture will always be in your con­crete to a cer­tain point. So, what is an accept­able mois­ture lev­el in con­crete? An ASTM F2170 must be insert­ed into the con­crete and the mois­ture or humid­i­ty lev­el must be under 75%, though some floor­ing sys­tems can han­dle high­er lev­els before they are com­pro­mised.

Why Is Mois­ture Test­ing in Con­crete Important?

As strange as it may be to think about, water vapor trav­els from the bot­tom of your slab up and out through the top as it tries to equal­ize with the humid­i­ty of the air above it. Sim­i­lar­ly, water vapor can move back down into your con­crete as well.

Exces­sive trans­mis­sion of mois­ture can cre­ate issues like the following:

• Bub­bles
• Dis­col­oration
• Delam­i­na­tion
• Pin­holes
• …and more!

If your con­crete is cov­ered by car­pet­ing or vinyl, this can cause a whole new host of issues as water seeps into your floor­ing mate­r­i­al. This is def­i­nite­ly not some­thing you want to experience!

How to Pre­vent Mois­ture Prob­lems on a Con­crete Floor

With all of this in mind, test­ing for both mois­ture in the slab and to deter­mine whether or not a mois­ture bar­ri­er sys­tem is in place becomes a huge­ly valu­able step. This spe­cif­ic sys­tem will inhib­it the absorp­tion of mois­ture from the ground under­neath, nip­ping any poten­tial for ongo­ing vapor trans­mis­sion in the bud.

If you don’t have a mois­ture mit­i­ga­tion sys­tem, it’s not too late! We can help you avoid cost­ly repairs down the road by block­ing the water vapor at the sur­face of your slab.

Do You Have Ques­tions about Mois­ture Mit­i­ga­tion Systems?

While we rec­om­mend that the actu­al test­ing of your slab be per­formed by an inde­pen­dent pro­fes­sion­al, we cer­tain­ly can pro­vide you with a qual­i­ty mit­i­ga­tion sys­tem. It would be our plea­sure to help, and to explain all of your con­crete care, coat­ing, and main­te­nance options.

Kaloutas is New Eng­land’s pre­mier con­trac­tor for com­mer­cial & indus­tri­al paint­ing, floor­ing, and relat­ed ser­vices. Estab­lished in 1987, Kaloutas has become a trust­ed resource for gen­er­al con­trac­tors, facil­i­ties man­agers, and build­ing own­ers from Con­necti­cut to Maine. Our team prides itself on high qual­i­ty work­man­ship, jobs done on time & bud­get, and tack­ling com­plex projects that oth­er con­trac­tors don’t have the expe­ri­ence or resources to han­dle. Con­tact us today for a paint­ing or floor­ing esti­mate, or give us a call at 978−532−1414 to learn more.