ChallengesofResilientFlooring−MoistureManagement&Flatness

CrisBierschank,MAPEIFridayOctober21,2016

ProgramOverview

• FlooringCoveringalwaysstartswithgoodsurfacepreparationtominimizetheeffectsoftelegraphingensuringtheresilientfloorisplaceonaflatsurfacewithout'high'or'low'spotsthatcantelegraphthroughtothefinishedsurface.

• Itisimportanttorememberthat'SurfacePreparation'(moisturemitigation,self-levelingand/orpatching)isnolongeranoption,butitshouldbethe'standard'forallinstallations."

ResilientFlooring–evidenceofsurfacepreparationissues

Evidenceofpossiblemoisture&flatness(telegraphing)issues

•Siteevaluation•Compressedsoil•Largeaggregate(capillarybreak)•Smalleraggregate

•Moisturevaporretarder-FirstLineofDefenseAgainstMoistureMigration

•ASTME1745-09definesthreeclassesofvaporretarders:•ClassAvaporretarderwillbemoreresistanttotearingandpuncturingthanaClassBorC•0.1permsasthemaximumwatervaporpermeance forallthreeclassesofvaporretarders•Thicknessesofvaporretarderscanbefrom10mils(0.010inch)to15mils(0.015inch)

•ExteriorDrainageandLandscapingconcerns

10milsto15mils

VaporRetarder

ConcreteonSlab–siteevaluationundertheslab

NewSlabVs.

OldSlab

TheInstaller: ”I'mnotworriedaboutanymoisturevaportransmissionissueswheninstallingmyfloorcovering…theslabis20yearsold!”

•ASTMF710–11“StandardPracticeforPreparingConcreteFloorstoReceiveResilientFlooring” – “Thispracticecoverstheprocedurefordeterminingtheacceptabilityofconcretefloorsfortheinstallationofresilientflooring.Italsoincludessuggestionsforensuringthattheconstructedconcretefloorisacceptableforsuchinstallationsbutdoesnotcovertestsforadequacyoftheconcretefloortoperformstructuralrequirements.Apermanent,effectivemoisturevaporretarder,ofthespecifiedthickness andpermeance,isrequiredunderallon- orbelow-gradeconcretefloors.Concretefloorsforresilientflooringsshouldbepermanentlydry,clean,smooth,structurallysound,andfreeofsubstancesthatmaypreventadhesivebonding…”.

ConcreteonSlab–OldslabVs.Newslab

•Excessivemoisturenearfoundation•Brokenirrigationpipes•Interiorplumbingruptures•Pondsorpoolingofwater

•Soilerosionexposingthefoundation

•ClimaticChanges•Rainyseason•Flooding•Saturatedsoil

•Longdryperiods•Soilshrinks,cracks

•Snowandfreezingconditions,thawingofsoil•MoisturepercolatesupintheSpring

•Poorgrading,slopetobuilding, waterrun-off

Irrigation&Roots

SoilErosion

WaterPooling

WaterPooling

ExtremeClimaticChanges

ConcreteonSlab–conditionsmayhavechangedin20years!

• Allsubstratesmustmeetthefloorcoveringmanufacturer’sspecifications– MoistureEmissionRates

• Typically<3-5lbs/1000sqft/24hoursor85%RH

– Smooth,flatanddefectfree• Typically¼”-10’

– FollowResilientManufacturerforbothmoisturerequirements&floorflatness

• Substratetocomplywithindustrystandards(suchasASTMF710).– CompressionStrengths>4000

psi– TensileStrengths>175psi

SubfloorRequirements–thehand-offtotheinstaller

ExampleTheamountofmoisture/waterthatcantypicallybeextractedfromaslabevery7daysbasedon: MVER=to20lbs./1,000sq.

ft.(9,07kgper92,9m2)/24hrs

17gallonsofwater

CanbeaCostlyGamble:Reputation,Time,&Money!

Wait&SeeMethodof‘MoistureManagement’

MVERinConcreteSlab–Quantifyingthemoisture

Impuritiesbroughttothesurfaceoftheconcrete,causingchemicalreactionsthatformstainsthattransferthroughthesheetgoodstothewearsurface

• Delaysinfloorinstallation• Higheralkalinity• Extendeddrytimeforwaterbasedadhesives• Limitationsofflooringmanufacturerrecommendations

<5lbs,<3lbs

Stainingonthesurface

oftheFloorCovering

MVT–whatcanhappenunderyourfloorcovering

• ResilientIndustryhasunderstoodforyearstheimportanceofaddressingtelegraphing

• Aflatsubstratemakesallofthelayersaboveiteasiertoinstallcorrectly

• FinishedCoverings:carpet,vinyl,rubbertiles/flooring,wood,porcelaintile&stone

• Floorprepdoneproperlycontributestogettingtheneededfoor adhesiveormortartransfertotheproductduringinstalls.

• Adhesivetransferisreducedorseverelycompromised

FloorFlatness–Acceptablesubstrateforfinishedcovering

HowFlatisflat? – ACI• Specificationstypicallyincludea“Floorflatness”requirement(anda“Floorlevelness”requirement)

• Thehigherthenumber,theflatterthefloor

FF Maxdrop/10ft TypicallyConsidered

20 Conventional

25 1/4" ModeratelyFlat

35 Flat

45 VeryFlat

50 1/8"

60 SuperFlat

100 1/16"

ThereisnodirectcrossoverbetweenFFnumbersto‘1/4”in10’typeofterminology,buthereisageneralguideline:

F-NumberMeasurements-Division3/Concrete

• Pointelevationsmeasuredatregular12in.(300mm)intervalsalongeachline.

• Measurementlinesdistributeduniformlyacrosstherestsection.

• Minimumnumberofreadingsrequiredforstatisticalapproach.

• Measurementlinesnotwithin2ft (0.6m)ofanyslabboundary,constructionjoint,isolationjoint,block-out,penetration,orothersimilardiscontinuity.

• Flatnessmeasuredwithin72hrs.ofconcreteplacement.

Curlmovement⎯lifting&relaxingofslab• Whyitisimportanttoconsider‘slabcurl’wheninstallingaResilientfloorcovering?• Sinceduringthe ‘curing’ processtheconcreteslabisexperiencingboth‘tensile’and‘compressive’forces

causingtheslabto‘lift’andthen‘relax’.• Duringthiscuringcyclewheretheslabisshrinkingduetothe‘waterofconvenience’evaporatingoffofthe

slabsurface—asitliftsandrelaxestheresultissurfacecrackingandcreatingelevatedorunevenareas.• Inordertomeetslabflatnessthecontractorgrindstheslab,theslabrelaxesfurtherleavingtheareasthat

weregrounddownlowerthentherestoftheslab. TheinstallerwillbethefirstpersonnotifiedtomakeanynecessaryrepairstoensureanacceptablesubstrateforinstallationoftheResilientfloorcovering.

Methodstoaddressflatness:• Mudbed/screed• PatchingCompounds

• Cement-based&gypsum-based• Self-levelers

• Cement-based&gypsum-based

PatchingCompounds• Concretesubstrateswith

small,localizedareasthatarenotflatcanbeaddressedwiththistechnique

• Highspotsaregrounddownwithadiamond-bladedrotarygrinder

• Lowspots(“bird-baths”)arebuiltupwithapatchingcompoundappropriatetothesubstrate

• Thewholeareamaybecappedwithathinlayertrowel-appliedpatchtomakeituniform

Self-Levelers⎯Overview• Self-Levelersareproducts

designedtoflowfreely,developahighcompressivestrength,andflattensubstratesthathaveunevenareas.

• Self-Levelersareverycommoninresilientandwoodflooringinstallationsandastileformatsgrowinsize,anecessitytohaveinatileinstaller’stoolboxaswell

• LevelerspreparethesubstratetoreceiveflooringbyflatteningittoaFFofbetween50- 80

FF Maxdrop TypicallyConsidered20 Conventional25 1/4" ModeratelyFlat35 Flat45 VeryFlat50 1/8"60 SuperFlat80100 1/16"

Self-leveler⎯Advantages?

• Floorsthatrequiresignificantcorrection

• Concrete• Levelingonetypeofsubfloortomeetanother

• Floorsthatcanhandletheweight

• Overradiantheatingsystems

• Largeareas• Timeiscritical

Self-levelers⎯Variousformulations/Tasks

• Cement-based,flowablelevelers• Gypsum-basedlevelers• Rapid-settinglevelers• Lightweightlevelers(typicallyfeatheredgeto½”)

• Levelersforverythincaps• Reducedsurfacepreplevelers• Moistureresistantlevelers

Self-levelers⎯Cement-based• General-purpose,costeffective• Upto1”thick• Cementcureswhenmixedwithwater• Canlaysheetgoods14-16hoursthenextday

• Requireaprimer• Requiresomesurfacepreparation(generallyshotblastingorgrinding)

• Barrelmixorpumpable• Createasmooth,flatsurface

• Upto2”thick• Withanappropriateprimer,doesnotrequiremechanicalsurfaceprofiling

• Goodchoiceoverexistingtile,VCT,orpreparedcutbackandcarpetresidues(withappropriateprimer)

• Nextdayinstallationofmembranesorsheetgoods

• Barrelmixorpumpable• Smooth,absorbentsurface

Self-levelers⎯Cement-based/reducedsurfaceprep

• Moreexpensive• Upto2”thick• Acceleratedsettime• Accessforothertradesinaslittleas1-3hours

• Membrane/Sheetgoodsinstallationnextday• Requireaprimer• Barrelmixorpumpable• Createasmooth,flatsurface

Self-levelers⎯rapid-setting

• Moreexpensive• Upto1”thick• Foruseinunenclosedbuildings(Core&

Shell)• Priortospaceacclimationwithout

HVACsystemcontrollingoccupiedspace

• NotforEXTERIORapplications• Canbeusedover‘green’concrete(7days)

withapprovedprimer• Nextdayinstallationofmembranes/Sheet

Goods• Barrelmixorpumpable• Smoothsurface

Self-levelers⎯moistureresistant

• Cost-effective• Fire-ratedproperties• Upto3”thick• Drybyevaporation(thickness,

temperature,andhumidityconsiderations)• Unlikecement-basedthat

drybyhydration• Requireaprimer• Goodforuseoverexisting

gypsumsubstrates(multi-family)• Barrelmixorpumpable• Createasmooth,flatsurface• SLU&Patchingcompounds• Ettringite risk:whencement-

basedpatchisusedovergypsum,separatewithaprimerlayer

Self-levelers⎯gypsum-based

• Theleveleryouchoosedeterminestherequiredprofile.Mostwillreference“CSP”numbersdevelopedbytheConcreteRepairInstitutethatshowhowroughthesurfacemustbe.

• Profilingopensupthesubstratetobondwithtoppingandincreasestheabilityofthetoppingtowithstandimpactforces.

• Sealers,oil,paint,waxesandothercontaminantsshouldberemoved

• Mechanicalremovalispreferredtoreducethelikelihoodofintroducingnewcontaminants

Self-levelers⎯mechanicalprofiling

• Primer,doesitreallymatterwhichoneIuse?• Yes,primersimproveadhesion,bond

strengthandreducesurfacedefects(pinholes)inthefinishedsurface.

• Whenselectingaprimerthefollowingfactorsmustbeconsidered:1. Typeofsubstrate—porousandnon-porous

concrete,gypsum-based,plywood,existingtile,adhesiveresidue.

2. The‘serviceconditions’thatthetoppingorunderlaymentwillbeexposedtoduringits‘servicelife’,fromawarehousetoresidentialflooring.

3. Primerscanrangeinchemicalmake-upfromwater-basedacrylictotwo-component100%solidsepoxyandareformulatedforvarioussubstratesandporosities—tomatchtheprimertothespecificapplication.

Self-levelers⎯primers

Self-Leveling⎯Barrel Installation• Smallerareasarepoured

frombuckets• Largerareascanbepumped• Alwayspourintoa‘wetedge’

sothepourscanbeworkedtogether

• Onceyoustart,finishtheentirearea

• ‘Porcupine’rollersbreakthesurfacetensionoftheleveler

• Spikebottomshoesallowinstallertowalk‘over’theinstallation

• Gaugerakesworklevelertotheproperdepth

• Mixingistypicallydonetwoorthreebagsatatimeinabarrelmixerinordertobepoured,allthewayupthroughmultiplebagsmixedtobepumpedcontinuously.

• Don’toverwater!• Themostcommonissuewithleveler

installationsistoomuchwater• Whenpumpingitiskeytoensurethe

watertomixratiostaysconstant• Leadstosoft,powderysurface,color

variations,anduncontrolledshrinkage

Self-Leveling⎯Pump Installation

SurfacePreparation⎯MoistureIssues/Patching/Self-Leveling

• Manyresilientcallbacks1.)moisture2.)telegraphing• SurfacePreparationisnolongeranoption,butshouldbethe‘standard’

• Siteassessment…vaporretarder?MVERexceedingflooring/adhesivemanufacurerrecommendations?

• Understandingthe‘degree’offlatnessrequiredforthe‘finishedcovering’.ie:CarpetVs. 5’x10’largeformatthinporcelaintile

• Screed,patchingcompounds,SLUs• Self-levelerscansavetimeandmoney• Typeofsubstrate,environmentalconditions,andtimingoftheinstallationdeterminewhichlevelertouse(cementitiousorgypsum)

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