ᐅ Installing click-lock vinyl flooring despite possibly excessive residual moisture
Created on: 21 Nov 2023 10:49
J
jrth2151
Just as a preliminary note:
Yes, I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone myself, and yes, I know that a CM measurement has to be done, as it is the only truly reliable method to measure residual moisture.
And yes, I know we like to educate each other here in the forum, but please put that aside for a moment and follow my explanation.
Our calcium aluminate screed (alpha-hemihydrate) was installed on 26.07.23. The windows remained closed for three days afterwards, and the house was not entered. After that, we started ventilating several times daily with burst ventilation. We always monitored the hx diagram to achieve the lowest possible relative indoor humidity matching the outdoor conditions.
After three weeks, the functional/maturity heating began. The flow temperature was gradually increased and then maintained at 50°C (122°F) for a total of 14 days. Afterwards, the temperature was slowly reduced to 21°C (70°F).
Then I measured residual moisture with an electric moisture meter (yes, inaccurate) and got a reading of less than 0.2%. So at least the indicators look good so far.
We then had no heating for about four weeks but continued ventilating optimally according to the hx diagram. Since last week, the heating has been running again at 21°C (70°F).
That’s the background information.
The issue:
We have to move in before Christmas because we have already terminated our rental contract and the loan repayment has started. That means we can hardly afford to wait any longer anyway. It would practically be impossible.
At the end of next week, we will be installing floating click vinyl flooring—Wineo 600 rigid. Now let’s assume I don’t do a CM measurement. What is the worst-case scenario? Does anyone here have experience with this? We would leave off the baseboards until a few weeks later and only cover the essential rooms such as the bedrooms and open-plan kitchen/living area.
And again, I wouldn’t personally recommend this to anyone, but unfortunately, we really have no other real choice now…
Yes, I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone myself, and yes, I know that a CM measurement has to be done, as it is the only truly reliable method to measure residual moisture.
And yes, I know we like to educate each other here in the forum, but please put that aside for a moment and follow my explanation.
Our calcium aluminate screed (alpha-hemihydrate) was installed on 26.07.23. The windows remained closed for three days afterwards, and the house was not entered. After that, we started ventilating several times daily with burst ventilation. We always monitored the hx diagram to achieve the lowest possible relative indoor humidity matching the outdoor conditions.
After three weeks, the functional/maturity heating began. The flow temperature was gradually increased and then maintained at 50°C (122°F) for a total of 14 days. Afterwards, the temperature was slowly reduced to 21°C (70°F).
Then I measured residual moisture with an electric moisture meter (yes, inaccurate) and got a reading of less than 0.2%. So at least the indicators look good so far.
We then had no heating for about four weeks but continued ventilating optimally according to the hx diagram. Since last week, the heating has been running again at 21°C (70°F).
That’s the background information.
The issue:
We have to move in before Christmas because we have already terminated our rental contract and the loan repayment has started. That means we can hardly afford to wait any longer anyway. It would practically be impossible.
At the end of next week, we will be installing floating click vinyl flooring—Wineo 600 rigid. Now let’s assume I don’t do a CM measurement. What is the worst-case scenario? Does anyone here have experience with this? We would leave off the baseboards until a few weeks later and only cover the essential rooms such as the bedrooms and open-plan kitchen/living area.
And again, I wouldn’t personally recommend this to anyone, but unfortunately, we really have no other real choice now…
KingJulien schrieb:
And in this case, it is actually about the possibly too high residual moisture in the screed, which should be able to escape.That was exactly our concern. This way, the potential residual moisture can escape at the sides and is not blocked by the skirting boards. In many posts here on the forum, mold has developed behind the skirting boards because the moisture had nowhere to go. We definitely want to avoid that.
Taking 2-3 days off work in about six months for this should be manageable. Of course, once you’ve moved in, it’s easy to get lazy, but I’m usually pretty good at staying motivated for things like this. So it’s not a big deal.
W
WilderSueden26 Nov 2023 09:03The issue is less about motivation and more about having a lot of other things to take care of. For example, the outdoor landscaping 😉
Are there specific conditions under which this happens?
Tolentino schrieb:
It's more about the screed settling again during the first year.
Are there specific conditions under which this happens?
I haven’t figured that out yet. Possibly it happens if the screed dried too quickly and warped as a result. Then it might settle again later...
This occurred in my condominium. In some places, I ended up with a gap of about 1cm (0.4 inches) below my baseboards. At that time, everything was already finished by the developer, of course. Back then, I had a maximum gap of 3mm (0.1 inches) under certain spots.
It seems the same thing happened in our shower, or the tiler may have done a poor job; it’s hard to say afterward. In any case, I now need a water barrier profile there and have to mop the floor every time after showering. Very annoying.
This occurred in my condominium. In some places, I ended up with a gap of about 1cm (0.4 inches) below my baseboards. At that time, everything was already finished by the developer, of course. Back then, I had a maximum gap of 3mm (0.1 inches) under certain spots.
It seems the same thing happened in our shower, or the tiler may have done a poor job; it’s hard to say afterward. In any case, I now need a water barrier profile there and have to mop the floor every time after showering. Very annoying.
X
xMisterDx26 Nov 2023 11:59jrth2151 schrieb:
That was exactly our point. This way, any remaining moisture can escape from the sides and is not trapped by the baseboards.
In many posts here on the forum, mold developed behind the baseboards because the moisture had nowhere to go. We want to avoid that. That is why every installation guideline for hardwood and laminate flooring states that a vapor barrier must be installed on screed floors and extended up the wall.
HARO also includes this in the installation instructions for click vinyl flooring.
Taking 2–3 days off work in six months for this should be possible. Of course, once you’ve moved in, it’s easy to get lazy, but I can usually motivate myself for tasks like this. So it’s not a big deal. Yes… I also thought I knew better before. Working 2 or 3 hours every evening after work and then 2 full 8-hour days on the weekend, and it would be done quickly, and so on.
It’s like with every project… you work like crazy until the handover (moving in)… and when it comes to the remaining tasks (work after moving in), motivation quickly drops off significantly.
X
xMisterDx26 Nov 2023 12:10Tolentino schrieb:
I haven’t figured that out yet. Maybe it happens if the screed dried too quickly beforehand and bowed. Then it might settle again later...
That happened in my condominium. In some places, I have about 1cm (0.4 inches) below my baseboards. At that time, everything was already finished by the builder of course. (...) It can probably happen if the screed is handled incorrectly, for example, if during current weather conditions all windows are left tilted open and then the site isn’t visited for three weeks.
But whether the screed has bowed or not can be easily checked. Take a long spirit level and place it from the wall into the room. If that surface is level, then where would anything settle? 😉
xMisterDx schrieb:
That’s why every installation guide for parquet and laminate states that a vapor barrier must be installed on screed floors and extended up the wall.
HARO’s installation guide for click vinyl also includes this. I asked Wineo twice, and both employees recommended their silentRigid impact sound insulation. As far as I know, this is not a vapor barrier. However, it is not necessary because the vinyl itself is made of plastic on the underside.
How does a vapor barrier extended up the wall help prevent mold behind it? Moisture has to go somewhere, and this probably remains the easiest way out. Otherwise, everything underneath might mold because the remaining moisture cannot escape. That would likely make things worse. Or am I mistaken here?
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