Vapor Barrier Under Concrete Basement Floor

Is a vapor retarder barrier necessary for under the concrete slab of a garage or basement.

Vapor barrier under concrete basement floor. The last thing you want your customers to envision when thinking of a concrete floor is a damp cold basement slab. How to install vapor barrier on concrete floor under laminate flooring. We find ourselves having to explain that the vapor retarder wasn t required or necessary for a concrete garage floor poured at or above grade. A vapor barrier should be used for all concrete floors and slabs that are going to receive an impermeable floor finish like epoxy laminate linoleum and wood or if the concrete.

If you ve ever had a problem with a basement floor or any concrete floor you. Here are some of the company s and their products. Vapor barriers under concrete floor slabs. As mentioned earlier a sub slab gravel layer and vapor barrier will help keep things dry but you may not know what s under your slab.

Any kind of persistent moisture will allow mold to get a foothold and soon ruin carpet or wood flooring. 15 mil vapor barrier by americover. It needs to dry and then stay dry to avoid flooring problems. That way you have the extra layer of protection and don t have to worry about potential leaks.

It helps reduce mold and condensation in buildings. For a dry mold free finished basement floor always install a vapor barrier before laying a wood subfloor or carpet pad. The 2012 international residential code states. Concrete garage floors vapor transmission.

One of the reasons those old basement floors were like that was because they had no vapor barrier beneath them leaving an easy path for water vapor from the soil to migrate into the slab assuring that the cold clammy damp feeling never went away. A concrete vapor barrier is any material that prevents moisture from entering a concrete slab. Many moisture problems associated with interior concrete floors and slabs on grade can be minimized or eliminated by installing a vapor barrier under the concrete. Always read the flooring manufacturers recommendations and instructions before installing the underlayment.

By steve ragan director research and technical services the answer to this controversial question from both angles is a qualified yes vapor barriers have been associated with certain concrete slab on grade problems including curling and cracking. Americover has a high performance 15 mil vapor barrier for installation under concrete floors and slabs that will retard moisture migration and radon from escaping through the surface of the concrete floor. See what goes into waterproofing a basement too. For concrete basement floors that give off large amounts of moisture it might be worth considering installing a 6 mil vapor barrier with an underlayment that has an attached pad.