Before we get into underlayment moisture, it’s important to understand what underlayment is. Underlayment is a thin layer of material installed between the substrate, or base level of a flooring system (usually wood or concrete), and the flooring product. Underlayment provides a smooth surface for flooring materials while also serving additional functions including vapor barrier, sound dampener, comfort, insulation, compression resistance, and leveling.
Moisture is a common flooring problem that often arises on new construction projects. Tight project schedules put pressure on flooring installation, and concrete slabs are oftentimes not given sufficient time to cure before floors go down. This can lead to all sorts of problems including damage to the flooring materials, adhesive failure, and underlayment failure.
There are numerous solutions available to flooring contractors to help prevent or mitigate these problems such as moisture barriers, sealants, self-leveling concrete, rapid-drying underlayment, and special adhesives including some that utilize moisture for curing. Not all of these approaches are effective in all situations due to various reasons (chemical incompatibility, poor preparation), which is why it is important to hire a knowledgeable, experienced flooring contractor like SRI & Company for your project. For more information, please call SRI at 973-832-7627.
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