Floor Moisture, is a constant threat to floor coverings. Protecting your investment is vitally important when adhesives are no longer moisture and alkali resistant. Using a Floor Moisture Mitigation System under your floor coverings protects and guarantees your floor covering for up to 20-years, depending on the system installed. When it comes to open concrete floors, Sweating Slabs can become a major concern.
There are times of the year, (Spring & Fall) when exposed concrete floors may sweat. Generally speaking, it occurs when temperatures shift. It can be due to a wide number of factors ranging from humid interior air condensation falling onto the floor surface to rising moisture vapor from within the slab itself. Each cause requires specific mitigation technologies.
Clients have asked. “how can I tell if my concrete sweating slab is wet from rising moisture vapor or from settling moisture vapor in the air itself?” Its a simple answer. Do a localized test. Take a thick mil trash bag and cut out a one foot square of material. (Be sure the floor is as dry as you can make it). Lay the material on the floor and then tape all the edges securely so no air can get under it. Leave it there for 2-3 days. After time has passed, remove the tape and the plastic sheet. Examine the floor beneath. If it is dry but the floor surrounding it is wet, the air within the room is condensing and falling onto the floor as moisture. In this case, a large ceiling fan is often sufficient to move air and keep it from condensing. If, however, when the plastic is removed, the floor under the sheeting is wetter than the surrounding area or equally so, the moisture is rising from below. NST can address this issue directly via a range of mitigation tools and techniques.
There are other factors which may be causing sweating slab syndrome. They can very well be environmental. For example, we have seen where a retention pond was installed at a higher level than the building and very close to the structure itself. In this case, environmental structures (the pond) were causing moisture pressure to build within the slab. In this case, a well installed 100% epoxy topically applied moisture mitigation material solved the issue. In another example, we have seen where landscaping was causing water to intrude into the slab due to incorrect sloping/drainage. Water began to build within the entire slab and cause major issues. We directed the owner to get this corrected as the problem went away shortly after the issue was rectified. We have also seen where downspouts were incorrectly installed or were damaged, leading to the slab becoming waterlogged. Again, we were able to uncover the issue, identify it and work with the building owner in getting it corrected.
If you are experiencing issues with floor moisture within your facility or outbuildings, reach out to NST Concrete Surface Solutions for fast and efficient results.
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