• Dillon Foss posted an update 1 year, 1 month ago

    Exactly what is a concrete vapor barrier?

    A concrete vapor barrier is any material that stops moisture from entering a layer of concrete. Vapor barriers are used because while fresh concrete flows wet, it’s not designed to stay that way. It must dry and then stay dry to prevent flooring problems.

    If you’ve had an issue with a basement floor (or any concrete floor), you know the level of damage that as well much moisture could cause. Moisture enters concrete in a variety of ways, including using the ground, from humidity in the air, and throughout leaky plumbing that goes through a slab. Naturally, there’s even the moisture that was from the original concrete mixture.

    There’s only one-way moisture leaves concrete, though, and that’s via its surface. For those who have a concrete floor that’s in continuous connection with a source of moisture, you’re going to have issues. This is the reason a vapor barrier under concrete is crucial. Vapor barriers are a great way to maintain moisture from getting yourself into the concrete.

    Note: A vapor barrier is not identical to an underlayment. However, you will find underlayments that work as vapor barriers.

    Vapor barrier permeability is expressed in perms.

    Vapor barriers have varying numbers of permeability, expressed in perms. The larger the number, the harder permeable the material. Impermeable vapor barriers are the types with a rating of 0.1 perm or fewer while class II vapor retarders are the ones having a rating in excess of 0.1 perm and much less than 1.0 perm.

    You’ll hear people while using terms ‘vapor barrier’ and ‘vapor retarder’ interchangeably. However, in fact, they aren’t a similar thing. Vapor barriers are less permeable than vapor retarders. In the following paragraphs, i will be while using term ‘vapor barrier’.

    Why is a lot of moisture in concrete a problem?

    One word: adhesives. An excessive amount of moisture in concrete is a problem given it could cause pH changes that destroy adhesives. Here’s what happens.

    As moisture makes its way to the counter of an concrete slab, soluble alkalies appear for that ride and raise its surface pH above that regarding flooring adhesives. This makes the adhesives to breakdown and also you end up with flooring failures like swelling, bulging, or cupping.

    Do you require a vapor barrier within a layer of concrete?

    In a word, yes. Here’s why.

    There’s typically water underneath a structure site. It might not be nearby the surface, however that doesn’t mean it’s not there. This water can go up from the soil are available into contact with the foot of a concrete floor via capillary action. Capillary action might be stopped by using something called a capillary break, a layer of crushed rock which goes between your subgrade and the slab.

    Capillary breaks do an adequate job of stopping water rolling around in its liquid state from reaching a slab. However, they can’t stop water in vapor form from reaching and entering a layer of concrete. Therefore, there needs to be something under the slab that stops vapor moisture from entering.

    There is also a vapor barrier for liability reasons since most manufacturers of flooring include vapor barriers or retarders in their installation guidelines.

    How thick should a plastic vapor barrier be?

    In accordance with the Help guide to Concrete Floor and Slab Construction provided by the American Concrete Institute, a vapor retarder shouldn’t be below 10 mils thick. You may want a much thicker barrier though if you’re covering material with sharp angles.

    Important thing: Vapor barriers need to be sufficiently strong enough so they don’t easily puncture. If they do, moisture are certain to get in and that’s what you’re continuing to keep out.

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