Moisture Mitigation Systems

Moisture Mitigation systems are products designed to reduce the impact of moisture on installed floors.   These products limit or eliminate the movement of moisture vapor into the flooring system.  Why is this important?  It’s estimated that every year around one billion dollars is spent on flooring-related failures due to moisture. 

Moisture mitigation systems reduce or eliminate vapor from exterior sources like groundwater.  They can also minimize the effects of off-gassing from freshly poured concrete, allowing finished flooring to be installed before the 28 days cure cycle is complete.  

Moisture will always move from high concentration levels to low concentration levels until it reaches a state of equilibrium.  In concrete with high moisture vapor levels, the vapors move from the slab (high relative humidity) to the surrounding air (low relative humidity.)  Any coating installed on the concrete that is unable to handle the moisture vapor would then be affected.

With impermeable coatings like epoxy flooring, this typically manifests as bubbles, or delaminations.  Hardwood flooring will warp or buckle. VCT flooring can lift or blister. Linoleum can discolor and with carpet, you can get mold.

It is important to understand the RH levels, or Relative Humidity before installing flooring to make sure the levels aren’t higher than what the flooring can handle.  Once this is determined, a moisture mitigation system can be chosen to meet the requirements. These products are applied to the concrete and either reduce the RH level and Moisture Vapor Transmission (MVT) to an acceptable range or create a non-permeable layer preventing moisture migration altogether.

Contact us and see how we may be able to help with moisture problems.  Email us at info@seattlesurfaces.com or give us a call at (425) 586-0706.