ᐅ Vapor barrier damaged – problematic with vinyl flooring on HDF substrate?
Created on: 31 Aug 2017 21:09
A
AndreasPlüA
AndreasPlü31 Aug 2017 21:09Hello,
I have installed vinyl flooring on engineered wood flooring (Parador Basic 30) as a floating floor over calcium sulfate screed with underfloor warm water heating.
Construction: vapor retarder and on top the flooring (which has integrated impact sound insulation).
Is it a big problem if the vapor barrier was slightly damaged in a few spots during installation, with small holes between 0.5 and 2 mm (0.02 and 0.08 inches)?
I have installed vinyl flooring on engineered wood flooring (Parador Basic 30) as a floating floor over calcium sulfate screed with underfloor warm water heating.
Construction: vapor retarder and on top the flooring (which has integrated impact sound insulation).
Is it a big problem if the vapor barrier was slightly damaged in a few spots during installation, with small holes between 0.5 and 2 mm (0.02 and 0.08 inches)?
The vapor barrier is generally only necessary when using moisture-sensitive materials like wood (including the HDF substrate board). According to flooring manufacturers, it is also only needed if the screed is new and still contains residual moisture.
At the points where you damaged the vapor film, you could have simply repaired it with suitable adhesive tape.
You have either sealed the individual vapor barrier sheets together to create a continuous airtight surface in the room, or you overlapped them by 5–10cm (2–4 inches)? (If not, you would need to redo it anyway.)
If it is now too late and you have holes in the vapor barrier, the questions are:
- How much moisture is still in the screed?
- How large are the holes?
Assume that the moisture will try to escape, and it will. Instead of escaping around the edges, much of the moisture will now pass through the holes. The larger the hole, the greater the amount of moisture.
Is this enough for the wood to absorb a lot of moisture and possibly start to warp?
If you take the risk, you might only notice the problem after several weeks or months. At that point, you would have to lift everything again to fix it. If you want to be certain, you should lift everything now, with the advantage that no furniture is on top yet.
I am not an expert, but if the holes are only about 1–2mm (0.04–0.08 inches) in size and there are no more than 5 holes in the entire room, I would take the risk. However, if the work was very rough and there is more damage, I would consult a professional.
If your screed was poured only 3–6 weeks ago, I would recommend measuring the current residual moisture again with a reliable device and posting the moisture levels here, and possibly consulting a professional anyway.
At the points where you damaged the vapor film, you could have simply repaired it with suitable adhesive tape.
You have either sealed the individual vapor barrier sheets together to create a continuous airtight surface in the room, or you overlapped them by 5–10cm (2–4 inches)? (If not, you would need to redo it anyway.)
If it is now too late and you have holes in the vapor barrier, the questions are:
- How much moisture is still in the screed?
- How large are the holes?
Assume that the moisture will try to escape, and it will. Instead of escaping around the edges, much of the moisture will now pass through the holes. The larger the hole, the greater the amount of moisture.
Is this enough for the wood to absorb a lot of moisture and possibly start to warp?
If you take the risk, you might only notice the problem after several weeks or months. At that point, you would have to lift everything again to fix it. If you want to be certain, you should lift everything now, with the advantage that no furniture is on top yet.
I am not an expert, but if the holes are only about 1–2mm (0.04–0.08 inches) in size and there are no more than 5 holes in the entire room, I would take the risk. However, if the work was very rough and there is more damage, I would consult a professional.
If your screed was poured only 3–6 weeks ago, I would recommend measuring the current residual moisture again with a reliable device and posting the moisture levels here, and possibly consulting a professional anyway.
AndreasPlü schrieb:
Is it very bad if the vapor barrier is slightly damaged in a few spots during installation, for example by small holes of 0.5 to 2 mm (0.02 to 0.08 inches)? Hello "AndreasPlü".
To answer your question:
No, that is not a problem! I will keep it at this brief answer without extensive explanation.
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Regards, KlaRa
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