ᐅ Self-Work: Determining the Remaining Moisture Level

Hello everyone,

We are about to build a turnkey duplex house. There are options here to reduce the purchase price by providing some of the work ourselves.

For example, in the packages "Earthworks as DIY" and "Tiling as DIY," the following is stated:

This includes determining the residual moisture of the screed using a suitable measurement method (e.g., CM measurement), pretreatment of the screed including cleaning, sealing/resin treatment of shrinkage cracks, sanding or filling the screed for leveling.

Is determining the residual moisture difficult? Are there devices available that can be purchased cheaply or rented? What exactly does screed cleaning involve? Just vacuuming it once?
Since this will be a solid new build, we do not expect many cracks in the screed. Are we correct in assuming this? Is filling the screed difficult?

Best regards from Stuttgart!

So... determining the residual moisture is not difficult if you a) have the right equipment and b) know how much to chip off the screed and where. I saw it being done when our floor installer took care of it... No, I wouldn’t want to buy the equipment or do it myself. Since the screed can develop a glass-like surface, it may need to be sanded down and measured again a week later. And if the moisture is still too high (and who really decides what level is acceptable for what?)...

Clean the screed... sand it down!

New construction... why should there be less risk of cracking than in an older building?

From what we experienced ourselves and with acquaintances: it’s better to leave it to a professional. The risk of damage shouldn’t be underestimated. Laying tiles afterward is almost child’s play (although – it’s tough work! Tile installers here often complain about the lack of skilled workers!). But even then... waterproofing in the bathroom needs to be done properly, or the problems will be bigger.

We are currently struggling a lot with our tiler regarding the issue of residual moisture. I would ALWAYS entrust this matter to someone who knows how to handle it.

Thanks for the information. I will check if the company can do that, and perhaps we will just install the flooring ourselves (laminate flooring + impact sound insulation; the tiles should be fully installed by them).

If the company (whichever one) is installing the tiles, they should also measure the residual moisture themselves beforehand. This is important, especially for liability reasons.

I would install the laminate flooring much later. Otherwise, it might develop mold, and you'll have to redo it twice.