ᐅ Install baseboards later due to screed and joint formation?

Yaso2.0 schrieb:


The flooring installer didn’t tell us it was about a gap, but (as I understood it at the time) that the residual moisture in the screed first becomes noticeable at the baseboards because they can absorb water and swell, which might prevent the floor covering from settling properly and cause waves in the floor.

It’s quite surprising what statements one has to read regarding tradespeople!
The above statement is complete nonsense and shows a lack of professional competence!
If a floor covering—which in a broad sense also includes the baseboards—is installed on a damp substrate, this is clearly a failure of the contractor within the scope of their inspection and duty of care.
The joint between the bottom edge of the baseboard and the surface of the screed is not a defect. Every mineral screed tends to deform during drying (cement screeds more, calcium sulfate screeds less). For a standard cement screed, this can be up to around 5mm (0.2 inches) without this being a cause for complaint!
Neither the screed installer nor the homeowner can influence this.
And if a 2.5m (8 ft) long, relatively rigid baseboard with an MDF core is installed along the wall, gaps will appear here and there underneath. The only aspect to consider afterwards is purely cosmetic.
If the homeowner does not want to accept this, a clean acrylic sealant joint matching the color of the baseboard can be applied.
This is common practice with parquet flooring. However, since parquet naturally deforms in length due to climatic conditions, the sealant joint is cut open after curing with a thin utility knife blade parallel to the surface of the covering, so the wooden floor is not restrained.
The forces acting on sealants can be considerable, as I know from experience!
Now, parquet is not the subject here.
But the sealant joint hides what should not really be accepted and what is material-specific, related to the screed!
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Regards, KlaRa