Question about using a moisture meter on concrete slabs

I keep seeing guys skip the moisture test before laying LVP. Had a job in Tampa last month where the slab read 85% RH, way over the 75% spec. How do you convince a builder to wait for it to dry when they're pushing the schedule?

3 comments

3 Comments

jesse_allen27d agoTop Commenter

Man, I read a whole article about this. They said showing the builder the actual warranty from the flooring maker helps, because it's void if you install over a wet slab. Maybe print that page out and highlight it?

milatorres27d ago

Honestly I get what @jesse_allen is saying but how wet are we talking here. I mean most slabs have some moisture, that's just concrete. Unless there's actual water pooling up I feel like builders just want to move on to the next job. Maybe it's just me but I've seen floors go down on slabs that weren't bone dry and they turned out fine. The warranty thing sounds good on paper but good luck getting a builder to care about some paper you printed. They'll probably just say their guy checked it and it was fine.

masonb4227d ago

Yeah I used to think the same way, like a little damp is normal, right? But then I saw a friend's floor buckle after a year because of slab moisture. Now I'm totally with Jesse, that warranty paper is your only real proof if things go wrong later.