Posted 5 years ago. The problem is the adhesive between the vinyl floor tiles and the concrete. One caution - do not seal the floor under a water pressure tank or filter system that sweats in the summer. Keep the dehumidifier going. Moisture can be a problem when a floor that looks dry really isn't. Concrete is a smooth, stable surface so the vinyl will go down smoothly and easily. Condensation from these systems often drip down and dissipate through raw concrete, but will pool if you seal it. A sweating concrete floor can be a real nuisance that can create a slippery surface and make the floor damp. The concrete is touching the soil, yes (concrete sitting on/in soil...not suspended in the air like an apartment on the 20th floor)? An improper adhesive changes color beneath the floor and migrates through the back of the vinyl. Fill in low spots with a concrete self-leveling compound. You leave enough of a gap around the edge that it can expand, contract, flex, whatever but that it’s hidden by baseboard. You can run a de-humidifier to try and reduce the moisture in the air. Conduct a moisture test. Then, mix about 50 lb (23 kg) of the leveling compound in 20 cups (4,700 mL) of water. The moisture levels in concrete subfloors should be as low as possible before installing vinyl … There are a few things you can do to try and reduce concrete sweating, and protect concrete against the damage and deterioration caused by the absorption of the condensation. The smell is gone and so is the mold. A wet floor may cause accidental slips, trips, and falls and can be very dangerous for forklift and other machinery as they may be unable to brake or stop when needed. These are all classic symptoms of moisture vapor transmission through the concrete breaking down the adhesive. Which type of coating is chosen will depend on the intended use of the floor. We decided to tear it up and go with ceramic tiles. What I'd recommend is that you buy a 100% Olefin carpet roll end at any retail flooring store and use double sided carpet tape to tape the perimeter of the carpet down to your concrete floor. The concrete does not care if it is wet or if it stays wet—in fact it is happy to be wet. The installer painted the floor with some red suff to prevent any mold. Perhaps the easiest way to improve the insulation of a floating vinyl floor on concrete is to install a thermal underlayment, preferably made of cork, felt or a similar material. … Read More Wash the floor. It is directly related to the dew point. We have a concrete slab with a vinyl floor. Sweating slab syndrome (SSS) is a phenomenon where moisture intermittently develops on the surface of an interior concrete slab. Use Floor Treatments with Caution - Avoid surface densifiers, paints, coatings and sealers as they may interfere with the porousness of the concrete and make Sweating Slab Syndrome worse. 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. This is in the middle of the basement, 2 feet behind the stove where the concrete gets warm. OK. Concrete sweating usually occurs when warm air comes into contact with a cooler concrete slab and it causes the concrete floor to sweat. Installations in ‘wet rooms’ should also include measures to ensure that the seams and perimeter of the floor are well sealed to prevent moisture getting under the luxury vinyl … In the area was a plastic boot mat sitting directly on the floor, when I moved it there was water under it. What Happens to a Moldy Concrete Floor? In this article, we study the phenomenon of […] Putting it over a concrete floor is the simplest way to install vinyl -- in most cases, you need only sweep and vacuum the concrete. Mold produces acid. However, some people prefer to add another thin layer of subflooring between the concrete and vinyl. Why Does My Concrete Floor Sweat? Try going for interlocking floor tiles, vinyl, or nature stone, all of which are not prone to moisture and sweating like concrete garage floors. The floor should be free of greasy spots or built-up grime before you leave it to fully dry. Wait 3 hours for it to dry. While your floors did put in a good hard day of work, the sweating floors are actually the result of a temperature change. Without an underpad under the carpet, any moisture that accumulates under the Olefin carpet will simply evaporate through the carpet. Vinyl plank is a floating floor which means you don’t ever actually attach it to the underlay. This acid will eat away at the concrete floor, basically degrading it and stripping it of its advantages namely durability. So technically, if you are installing vinyl plank flooring onto concrete you already have a subfloor. The already porous concrete floor will become more porous, absorbing more moisture in the process. Causes of Surface Dampness on Concrete Slabs and Garage Floors: Humidity—warm and humid air condenses into surface moisture when it comes into contact with the cool surface of your concrete floor or slab.. Faulty/Missing Vapor Barrier—moisture from the ground can seep up and surface through the concrete if no vapor barrier has been installed or is faulty 1. Installing vinyl flooring is one of the easiest jobs for the do-it-yourself homeowner. We've had a lot of rain lately, and yesterday the entire floor was damp. Getting the Help of Pros to Avoid Mold Growth However, if the underside of the plastic is wet and the surrounding surface of the concrete is mostly dry, then you have a moisture problem from below the slab. If the concrete under the plastic is dry and the surrounding surface is wet, then you have a sweating garage floor. However, I would seal the floor first (which I did) with a wateproofing product like Drylok. The literature also refers to discoloration caused by alkalies in underlying concrete but describes this discoloration as a bleaching, not a yellowing. A subfloor is the bottom layer of any floor. After the construction was finished I painted the concrete floor in the new extension. Preparation is key with these coatings and the substrate must be sufficiently clean and dry. If your concrete subfloor was just poured, you’ll need to allow it to properly cure for a minimum of 60 days before your luxury vinyl flooring installation begins. Concrete sweating, also known as sweating slab syndrome (SSS), refers to condensation that develops on the surface of the concrete. And it is 60 years old. “If the surface of a floor slab is colder than the dew point temperature of the ambient air above the slab, moisture will condense on the surface of the slab. If the concrete is uneven, you will have to level it out. Learn how to fix a sweating concrete floor. You may notice your carpet starting to roll, tiles popping off the floor or vinyl flooring curling at the seams. The vinyl floor tiles themselves also don’t care if they touch wet things. Therefore, it is recommended to implement necessary […] Most times Sweating Slab Syndrome is accompanied by concrete efflorescence. On a humid night, the water vapor of a warm day comes in contact with the cooler ground, and condenses (on your floors) into morning dew. We did find mold. SSS can increase the slipperiness of the concrete surface and pose a serious risk to the safety of workers and material transport operations. That condensation on your concrete means you have sweating floors. I have also noticed in the past that when I move some plastic totes that there is an outline of the tote on the concrete, but no visible water. Most often, the cause of a damp concrete floor can be explained as Sweating Slab Syndrome. Find out how improving drainage conditions, cleaning gutters and using a concrete sealer will stop a concrete floor from sweating with condensation. I believe a damp-proof sheet was used under the concrete floor as indicated by the telltale black sheeting used before the concrete floor was poured. Assuming I've got this right, the fun is about to begin. Continue reading to learn how to stop concrete sweating. Concrete sweating is the phenomena of accumulation of water droplets on the surface of concrete due to the difference in temperature of the outer environment and concrete. Concrete is a common subfloor material, and in general, it’s easy to prepare for a luxury vinyl flooring installation project. If you use an underlayment without a moisture barrier, it's a good idea to install a sheet of plastic below it for insurance. Unfortunately many people are under the misguided belief that wood or laminate may be a problem with water but water damaged vinyl flooring, no way!! Because concrete is permeable, ground moisture can slowly move upward in the form of vapor and adversely affect anything that rests on top of the concrete. All seemed good and it dried well. The key to installing luxury vinyl over concrete is to ensure the floor is level and clean. When we experience such a warming trend, air temperatures and humidity rise. FloorCare Specialists-678-802-6020- At certain times of year in the Southeastern United States, we witness concrete slab sweating.This occurs when there have been long cool periods (like an ice or snow event – or prolonged period of cold, dry air) ahead of a warming trend. After a humid night, water vapor in the air will come into contact with the cooler concrete floor and will condense into morning dew. First, apply a concrete leveling primer to the entire floor with a push broom. In either of these cases, the cause of the staining lies under the vinyl. You just lay it over top. It can be constructed from wood, plywood, plastic or concrete. You may even notice your concrete slab is sweating … Pour the mixture onto the floor, letting gravity take it into the lower areas of the floor. Concrete Moisture Levels Can Affect Flooring . I just finished a major remodel of my house which included finishing the basement. We installed luxury vinyl plank flooring over the concrete in the basement (some new concrete and some old). Underlayment isn’t a necessity, but you might consider it to add noise reducing qualities or additional softness to the product. The vinyl-like floor surface was approximately 35 years old and had been formulated and poured with mercury as an ingredient salivation or sweating, rashes, fretfulness, sleeplessness, and /or weakness may also be present. As mentioned above, condensation forms when moisture from the warm air lands on the cold concrete. Photograph 4: Vinyl Floor Tiles —Vinyl floor tiles are vapor barriers that prevent drying of the slab. concrete is cold air above vinyl is warm and youve got condensation insulate one from the other. These problems are not only disrupting functions of the building due to maintenance operations but also costly. I’m guessing that this sheeting is the vapour barrier you talk about. For this reason, installations over concrete should always include moisture testing and moisture control measures for the slab. Most damp-proof floor coatings are applied directly to the concrete floor surface using a brush or roller. Mold will grow where ever there is moisture. First off, residential builds started seeing plastic under the slabs on a regular basis sometime in the 80's. Garage Floor Sweating is an Easy Problem, but a Time Consuming One. Wash the concrete floor thoroughly using water and household detergent or degreaser.