Moisture is one of the leading causes of resinous flooring failures. Install failures are both financially costly and may cause harm to a company’s reputation.
Luckily, failures due to moisture are very preventable when you know how to find and solve issues.
Here’s what every resinous flooring installer should know before approaching projects.
Why Is Moisture So Bad?
Resins, such as epoxies and advanced hybrid products like Hybrid XT, create both a mechanical and chemical bond to substrate. Moisture poses a significant threat to both of those bonds.
Mechanical Bond
Moisture makes it difficult or impossible for the resin to adhere to the substrate. Even with proper prep work, the moisture will create a barrier between the substrate and the resin. The same logic that drives people to clean and dry a surface before putting a sticker or vinyl down. Without the mechanical bond, resinous flooring systems are vulnerable to many failures, including de-lamination.
Chemical Bond
Resins, especially those engineered for industrial strength, also form a chemical bond. When a two-part resin kit is mixed together, this chemical process begins. The final step to the process is the cure, which both hardens the resin and binds it to the prepared substrate. Moisture interferes with this at a molecular level, interrupting both the hardening as well as the bonding.
But My Resin Hardened!
In the presence of extreme moisture concerns, a resin may not harden at all. Though at this point, the installation should never have begun since moisture would be plainly visible on the substrate.
Most times, moisture will be a silent and patient killer.
Once the resin is down, it will likely harden and begin to bond to the substrate. In time, as moisture seeps in from below, the system will fail.
Though the installer may be outside of the reach of a warranty issue, a moisture failure can still create a difficult situation with an unhappy customer.
Where Are Moisture Related Failures Likely?
Though it can happen anywhere, there are several common places that an installer can assume moisture will be encountered.
Basements
When coating a basement -whether residential or commercial- there is a high chance of moisture. In the midwestern and northern US (or similar climate areas) there are high water tables that many residential basements get close to.
Between higher water tables, heavy rains and the designs of many homes, slow accumulation of moisture or even flooding can be expected.
New Concrete
Brand new concrete may seem like the ideal substrate to coat: fresh, undamaged and perfectly smooth. However, a fresh pour of concrete holds an incredible amount of moisture in it. Coating over it gives that moisture nowhere to go until eventually the entire coating comes off in a sheet.
To be safe, give concrete the full 28 days it requires to fully cure out and be ready for a coating. If you must coat before that, use a moisture vapor barrier product.
When it’s Visible
A pool of standing water would be enough to turn any contractor away. But the visual cues may not be as obvious as this. Look for dark spots on the concrete itself as well as any signs of moisture in the walls or windows.
I’m Not Sure If There’s Moisture
When it comes to moisture and a customer floor, it’s better safe than sorry. A failure may cost thousands and even more in lost business due to poor reviews and lost trust.
The best way to determine if moisture is present is to do a calcium chloride moisture test. These are specifically designed to read substrate moisture through the weight of the amount of condensed moisture it collects.
Based on the readings, a contractor can determine if the substrate is suitable for coating or if a different floor system is more advisable for the customer.
However, even a moisture test only provides a snapshot of that spot at that moment. In a week or at the next change of seasons, the reading could be completely different.
What’s The Solution to Moisture Failures?
If there is no great way to know without a doubt if moisture is present- better safe than sorry.
All V-8 Systems can be adapted to include moisture mitigation products in their build. In a basement coating, instead of using an epoxy or polyaspartic basecoat, try REV M.V.P.
REV M.V.P is a specialty engineered resin that acts as both a coating and a moisture vapor barrier. Installed correctly, it can hold back up to 20 psi of moisture pressure -ensuring that coating systems stay put.
With a price and coverage rate very similar to epoxy, this changes very little in terms of a contractor’s costs but may save thousands of dollars down the road.
