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…
M
motorradsilke26 Nov 2023 21:56xMisterDx schrieb:
This can happen if the screed is handled incorrectly, like leaving all the windows tilted open during current weather conditions and then not visiting the site for three weeks.
But whether the screed has bowed or not is easy to check. Use a long spirit level and place it from the wall into the room. If it’s level, where would anything settle? 😉 Why are there settlement cracks in new houses? Because the building settles. And that includes the screed. Or the walls.
Or maybe the insulation material underneath is still compressing a bit?
We had perfectly flat screed, with no bowing. Still, the floor has partially settled. Differently in different rooms. I just resealed some sections between the tiles and base tiles in the hallway because there was a gap. It was only about 2cm (1 inch). It’s partially the same in other rooms too. In the utility room, for example, where the heavy shelf with drinks and so on is located.
X
xMisterDx27 Nov 2023 12:27Or because it was poorly executed... Settlement cracks in new houses are not a natural law. Of course, that's often how it's presented, I know 😉
motorradsilke schrieb:
Why do new houses develop settlement cracks? Because the structure settles. This also applies to the screed and the walls. When everything settles, a floating screed layer placed on insulation only tends to cup or sink along the edges. This is due to drying and is related to the screed binder.
However, if solid structural elements of a relatively new building, including residential properties, settle, it indicates insufficiently compacted soil.
Older buildings tend to settle more than new ones because we have to consider the surrounding soil conditions.
Any foreign object introduced into the soil (for example, a building’s basement) can cause groundwater flow to be redirected.
Also, compaction of neighboring soil by heavy construction vehicles can play a role.
But with screeds, actual "settlement" of the screed layer is not recognized in technical practice!
Perhaps we are actually talking about "shrinkage cupping" of the screed, which would be the correct term used in the industry?
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Regards, KlaRa
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