Staying atop a continuous cycle of new flooring products and installation techniques is challenging, and it’s often one of the reasons professional flooring installers seek certification. One installation task for which certification has become particularly critical is subfloor prep—more specifically, the moisture testing and mitigation skills that come with it. After reviewing decades of historical data, organizations like Independent Floor Testing & Inspection (IFTI) are now recognizing moisture as the leading cause of flooring failure and calculating the cost of these failures at more than $2 billion annually.
While the floor covering industry and its training organizations have long recognized the damaging effects of uncontrolled moisture, new data has spurred a more intense focus on the moisture problem. With next-level, tech-enabled testing tools and mitigation products arriving on the scene in response, training organizations are updating their curricula, which means installers will have to keep up in order to remain competitive.
To avoid moisture mishaps, installers routinely test for and correct moisture issues before
flooring installation begins. Moisture tests commonly performed by installers are the calcium chloride test to measure moisture vapor emission rates (MVER) according to ASTM standard F1869, and the relative humidity (RH) test to measure moisture content in concrete substrates according to ASTM standard F2170. Both tests are used to determine if moisture levels are within the manufacturer’s recommended range
for the flooring product—or if mitigation is required.
New testing methods, however, are adding technology to these tasks. For example, Bluetooth technology is now a feature of some moisture meters, making it possible to capture and record moisture data and store the data in the cloud. These highly accurate, real-time tools are fast becoming a favored testing method for large-scale commercial projects where flooring failure could spell costly disaster.
Along with tech-savvy testing, manufacturers are also adding new mitigation products to the moisture control arsenal. Two recent product advances are single-step surface treatments and adhesive formulations that include moisture control. Single-step surface treatments, for instance, do not require bead-blasting prior to application. This saves an installer the extra step and the extra time and equipment required for traditional two-step treatments.
Similarly, some new flooring adhesive formulations now include moisture-control ingredients, thus consolidating two application tasks into one.
New challenges for installers
Like all new flooring products, Bluetooth-enabled meters and all-in-one adhesive and moisture control products come with new things to learn. These recent developments only underscore the rapid pace at which our field is changing and the importance of ongoing professional education. Such knowledge has the potential to save billions of dollars in failed flooring costs while also giving floor covering professionals a competitive edge.
David Gross is the executive director of INSTALL. He previously served as a full-time instructor at the Northeast Carpenter’s Apprenticeship Training Fund in Hamilton, N.J., and he has also sat on the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America executive board.
