• Blalock Riber posted an update 1 year, 1 month ago

    What is a concrete vapor barrier?

    A concrete vapor barrier is any material that prevents moisture from entering a layer of concrete. Vapor barriers are used because while fresh concrete flows wet, it’s not designed to stay like that. It requires to dry and then stay dry to avoid flooring problems.

    If you’ve been able to a problem with a basement floor (or any concrete floor), you already know the kind of damage that too much moisture can cause. Moisture enters concrete in a number of ways, including through the ground, from humidity in the air, and through leaky plumbing that goes through a slab. Needless to say, there’s even the moisture that was in the original concrete mixture.

    There’s only one-way moisture leaves concrete, though, and that’s via its surface. When you have a concrete floor that’s in continuous connection with a source of moisture, you’re likely to have problems. For this reason a vapor barrier under concrete is vital. Vapor barriers are a good way to hold moisture from getting into the concrete.

    Note: A vapor barrier isn’t just like an underlayment. However, you will find underlayments that work as vapor barriers.

    Vapor barrier permeability is expressed in perms.

    Vapor barriers have varying degrees of permeability, expressed in perms. The larger the number, the harder permeable the pad. Impermeable vapor barriers are those using a rating of 0.1 perm or fewer while class II vapor retarders are the type with a rating in excess of 0.1 perm and less than 1.0 perm.

    You’ll hear people using the terms ‘vapor barrier’ and ‘vapor retarder’ interchangeably. However, in fact, they aren’t exactly the same thing. Vapor barriers are less permeable than vapor retarders. In this post, we’ll be while using the term ‘vapor barrier’.

    Exactly why is excessive moisture in concrete a difficulty?

    One word: adhesives. Too much moisture in concrete is a problem as it may cause pH changes that destroy adhesives. Here’s what happens.

    As moisture makes its method to the top of your layer of concrete, soluble alkalies arrive for that ride and lift its surface pH above that regarding flooring adhesives. This makes the adhesives to breakdown and also you end up having flooring failures like swelling, bulging, or cupping.

    Do you want a vapor barrier within concrete slab?

    In short, yes. Here’s why.

    There’s almost always water underneath a building site. It may not be at the surface, however that doesn’t mean it’s not there. This water can progress up with the soil and are avalable into exposure to the bottom of a concrete floor via capillary action. Capillary action might be stopped by using something known as a capillary break, a layer of crushed rock which goes between your subgrade and also the slab.

    Capillary breaks do a good job of stopping water in the liquid state from reaching a slab. However, they can’t stop water in vapor form from reaching and entering a layer of concrete. Therefore, there needs to be something under the slab that forestalls vapor moisture from entering.

    There is also a vapor barrier for liability reasons since the majority manufacturers of flooring include vapor barriers or retarders within their installation guidelines.

    How thick should a plastic vapor barrier be?

    Based on the Self-help guide to Concrete Floor and Slab Construction authored by the American Concrete Institute, a vapor retarder shouldn’t be under 10 mils thick. You need a good thicker barrier though if you’re covering material with sharp angles.

    Important thing: Vapor barriers have to be sufficiently strong so they really don’t easily puncture. If they do, moisture is certain to get in and that’s what you’re continuing to keep out.

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