Concrete Vapor Barrier Vinyl Flooring

When installing certain types of flooring such as sheet vinyl the moisture content of the concrete can be a problem.

Concrete vapor barrier vinyl flooring.

15 mil vapor barrier by americover. Without the proper moisture barrier vinyl flooring acts as a moisture barrier causing it to buckle bubble and lift. What makes this stand out from the 3 in 1 blue underlayment is the added noise barrier to reduce foot fall noise. 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.

This 3 in 1 underlayment can be used under any laminate flooring to allow your floor to float and create a moisture barrier. Acoustical underlayment w vapor barrier for luxury vinyl flooring 54 pack model qwlv100 2 430 00. Here are some of the company s and their products. For floating floors manufacturers often recommend installing a moisture barrier between the subfloor and the floating floor to prevent moisture intrusion.

Concrete may seem very dense but it is actually full of small pores that will absorb water from the ground. If given ample space warmth and ventilation water vapor will simply evaporate. But when flooring is laid directly on the concrete it effectively creates a watertight and airtight barrier. No need to bother with large fold out low quality off spec construction grade films which can be bothersome and hard to use before the floor is installed.

Aci 302 1 which is an american concrete institute standard for slab construction was modified in the early 2000 s to reflect the change in the placement of the vapor barrier directly below the concrete if a low permeable membrane flooring was to be installed. Vapor 3 in 1 underlayment silver 100 sq ft roll. This flooring has underlay attached. The flooring associate at the home depot canada suggested using vapour barrier with tuck tape to seal the concrete.

Moisture will get through so even if you don t add an additional underlay you do need to seal the concrete. With plywood subfloor that s totally enough. The difficulty of course is that if the moisture barrier is compromised in any way moisture from the slab beneath can still damage the flooring or finish.