Ensure Concrete Longevity for Your Project
Concrete Moisture Testing is used to determine the moisture remaining within concrete floor slabs prior to the installation of flooring. Understanding the chronology of moisture throughout the installation process is paramount to avoiding issues. Fixing these issues is always expensive, but there are methods to mitigate prior to costly pains that start with tackling moisture complications.

Concrete Moisture Testing prevents additional costs and delays due to moisture related flooring failures. Most manufacturers require some moisture testing when installing flooring over concrete slabs so the user can both select the correct flooring and adhesive system and maintain manufacturer’s warranties.

Concrete slabs both on and above grade require concrete moisture testing prior to flooring installation to insure the flooring and adhesive systems are appropriate and able to accommodate the moisture condition of the concrete. Creating a concrete moisture plan prevents high costs and delays associated with failure. Owners, general contractors and contractors are among many of the professionals who benefit from Moore Engineering’s Concrete Moisture Testing services and consulting expertise.

Use Concrete Moisture Testing prior to installing flooring and after the concrete slab has reached service temperature, room conditions, and relative humidity.  (After at least 48 hours of continuous HVAC systems are running at design temperature and humidity.)  It is often wise to consider testing existing concrete slabs early in a project, or prior to the start of construction, in order to include any mitigative measures that may be required in the project costs and bid documents. In some circumstances, waiting until the floor is scheduled to be installed can result in excessive unexpected costs to either remove moisture or install a moisture retarder.

Standards in the industry have long defined exactly how many tests should be performed on a specific size project, it is critical to perform the prescribed amount of tests to capture an accurate picture of the moisture condition of the slab. For most testing, standards require 3 tests for the first 1,000 square feet and 1 test for every additional 1,000 square feet. If testing only RH, these tests consist of 3/4 inch diameter holes with caps placed throughout the slab, this is the least obtrusive of the testing protocols. If testing Calcium Chloride, the plastic test hoods, which are susceptible to damage, are placed in a similar spacing.

Once a floor has shown signs of failure, it is too late to mitigate the moisture within the concrete slab. However, testing can be completed to understand the factors causing failure. Moisture testing along with coring and analysis can reveal the precise cause of the failure.

Flooring Substrate

Sensors specifically designed to measure the precise temperature and relative humidity within the concrete slab are inserted into drilled holes in the concrete to assess the moisture condition of the full depth of the slab. This testing is completed in compliance with the current version of the ASTM F2170 Standard Test Method for Determining Relative Humidity in Concrete Floor Slabs Using in situ Probes consensus industry standard.

Using a dish of calcium chloride covered by a plastic dome, the moisture vapor emission rate is measured as moisture is absorbed by the calcium and increases in weight. The resulting calculated value is expressed in units lbs/1000 square feet / 24 hours, acceptable values are dependent on the product specifications but are usually required to be less than 3. This value represents the amount of moisture that will emit from the slab which can effect the performance and longevity of a flooring system. This testing is completed in compliance with the current version of the ASTM F1869 Standard Test Method for Measuring Moisture Vapor Emission Rate of Concrete Subfloor Using Anhydrous Calcium Chloride consensus industry standard.

Preparation of concrete slab prior to installation of a flooring surface is a paramount part of the installation process. Taking appropriate precautions, including measuring the alkalinity, or PH, of the concrete surface, helps to insure a lasting installation. PH testing is covered by and completed in conformance with the current version of the ASTM F710 Standard Practice for Preparing Concrete Floors to Receive Resilient Flooring consensus industry standard.

Using Tramex brand state-of-the-art testing equipment, Moore takes non-destructive readings to precisely locate the most vulnerable areas of a concrete slab and locating RH and Calcium Chloride tests appropriately. The ASTM F2659 Standard Guide for Preliminary Evaluation of Comparative Moisture Condition of Concrete, Gypsum Cement and Other Floor Slabs and Screeds Using a Non-Destructive Electronic Moisture Meter governs this testing specifically. This test method has become popular in the evaluation of roofing substrates prior to installation of adhered systems.

Adhesion Testing Cores

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