Moisture management for wood flooring installations

Wood floorcoverings are particularly susceptible to damage from excess subfloor moisture. Residual construction moisture or rising damp can rise up to the level of floorcoverings and cause wood floorcoverings to warp and rot, as well as attacking adhesives, potentially leading to complete floor failure.

It is, therefore, never more important than when preparing a subfloor ahead of the installation of wood floorcoverings to conduct a moisture measurement test to determine subfloor moisture levels and deploy a moisture management solution where necessary.

Normally, a waterproof surface membrane (WSM) will be required to supress excess subfloor moisture where a moisture test indicates that subfloor relative humidity (RH) levels are above 75%. When installing wood floorcoverings, it is recommended that a WSM is applied where subfloor RH levels are as low as 65%. Contractors should always refer to the wood floorcovering manufacturer for their recommendations.

F. Ball and Co. Ltd. has two timesaving options for when a moisture management solution is required. Stopgap F77 waterproof surface membrane is a two-part system, epoxy resin system, which is applied in a single coat. It fully cures in as little as three hours and will isolate residual construction moisture or rising damp where relative humidity values are up to 98%.

For an even quicker way to create a barrier against residual construction moisture where RH values are up to 95%, there is Stopgap F78, a one-component system, which is applied in two coats, requiring 15 – 20 minutes curing time for the first and a further 30 minutes for the second. It has a long shelf life and is supplied in a plastic bottle, which can be resealed and stored for future use.

Following the deployment of moisture management solution, flooring contractors can apply a floor smoothing compound to create a perfectly smooth base for the receipt of floorcoverings and optimise the appearance of the finished installation.