Goo in the science lab

We’ve mentioned before that unchecked RH at-depth can cause a litany of grief even long after the floor is installed.

Floor Test Australia recently conducted a test at a school premises. The vinyl install was completed in 2010. The installation was top quality.

Fast forward to 2013, when adhesive began to ooze through the seams in the vinyl. When squares were cut out, the adhesive was as fresh and sticky as the day it came out of the tub. We’ve talked about re-emulsification before, too.

Here’s the interesting bit: The installer did the right thing- they moisture tested prior to install. But that was 2010, when everybody used capacitance meters. The readings were fine. This implies;

a) that moisture content % is indeed irrelevant as established by the AS 1884-2012 findings

b) that the slab was fine at the time but moisture was introduced after the fact

c) both of the above

Either way, it stresses the importance of testing prior to install, if you want less chance of having to test after a failure to try to shift liability for the failure elsewhere.