Concrete Moisture Testing: Commercial vs. Residential Projects

Are you involved in the flooring industry? Whether you’re working on a commercial or residential project, moisture testing is a crucial step that should never be overlooked. With proper moisture testing, you can avoid encountering significant moisture-related failures in the future.

But here’s the question: How does moisture testing differ between commercial and residential jobs? What steps should you take, and what equipment should you use to ensure success?

In this article, we will delve into concrete moisture testing and explore the key differences between commercial and residential projects.

• Concrete Moisture Testing for Commercial Jobs
• Concrete Moisture Testing for Residential Projects
• Ensure Good Communication at the Outset
• What You Gain by Testing for Moisture
• Know the Job Parameters
• Tools for Success

If you’re a professional in the flooring industry or simply interested in learning more about moisture testing, keep reading. We will provide you with valuable insights and practical tips to set yourself up for a successful flooring job, whether it’s a commercial or residential project.

Discover the tools and techniques used in moisture testing for commercial jobs, such as the Rapid RH in-situ probes. We will also explore the unique challenges faced in residential projects and how a concrete moisture meter, like our C555 meter, can significantly increase your chances of success.

Communication is vital, and we will discuss the importance of establishing good communication with stakeholders before conducting moisture testing. We will also highlight the benefits of moisture testing and how the information gained can help you select the appropriate moisture mitigation methods to avoid future flooring issues.

Concrete Moisture Testing for Commercial Jobs

Moisture testing for commercial jobs is pretty unavoidable, and it’s often done using tools that measure the relative humidity of concrete floor slabs, like Wagner’s Rapid RH in-situ probes.

If moisture issues do appear, they are usually brought to athe attention of the general contractor so there can be a discussion revolving around how to proceed, be it waiting longer or utilizing different flooring products.

How does this change for residential projects?

Concrete Moisture Testing for Residential Projects

The residential business model for doing floors isn’t always conducive to doing in-depth concrete moisture testing. Relative humidity tests or calcium chloride tests require more time, more money, and more effort. However, using a concrete moisture meter can greatly increase the chances of success.

Opting for a more expensive moisture test in a residential setting can be tricky because it’s difficult to know exactly how much a job is going to cost right off the bat. For example, imagine that a salesperson goes out to a site, and the site already has flooring down, so there isn’t any exposed concrete to test. Even if the concrete were exposed, it’s not worth it for the salesperson to spend the money on a relative humidity test if they don’t even know whether or not they’ll be doing the job.

In order to get the job and complete it, they need to offer a price and at some level, make an educated guess about the moisture state of the concrete.

This is where a concrete moisture meter comes in handy. A concrete moisture meter like Wagner’s C555 meter makes moisture testing easy, fast, and effortless. With it, moisture testing simply involves exposing the concrete in the corner of a room—easily done if it’s carpeted—and taking preliminary readings to know what to do next.

The professional can then determine if it is appropriate to proceed or if further moisture testing is needed.

Ensure Good Communication at the Outset

Do what you can to ensure good communications with the stakeholders, including the general contractor, architect, site owner, and perhaps even the end-user. Verify that all the essential information has been gathered prior to moisture testing.

Is the age of the structure known, as well as the slab pour date and depth? Do you know if a vapor retarder was installed under the slab and is still intact? Do special conditions exist, such as buried metal or fiber optics? Does the slab include any corrugated pan decking? Or any other conditions that might affect the RH testing protocol?

If vital pieces of information are missing, do not proceed until informational interviews or other means are employed to get that information.

What You Gain by Testing for Moisture

The information that’s gained from moisture testing can be used to select the proper means of moisture mitigation so that future flooring issues can be avoided. This could include vapor retarders, surface membranes, or applied barriers.

No matter what moisture testing protocol you use or moisture mitigation you apply, your reputation is still on the line, so saving time and making the job run smoothly is important for all involved.

Know the Job Parameters

When it comes to testing moisture in concrete, make sure you are clear about the contract for the flooring job. You want to be sure you’ll be working under parameters that set you up for success.

What moisture test is being specified for the job? Who will be doing the moisture testing prior to the flooring installation? Will you do the testing, or is this to be performed by an independent party? Or someone else?

Once you’re clear about the parameters related to testing the slab’s readiness for the floor installation, if the entire situation doesn’t feel comfortable at the outset, you may want to consider respectfully declining and walking away. Trust your instincts.

Tools for Success

Whether working on residential projects or commercial projects, who doesn’t like to have a tool that can shorten the project timeline, save money, and eliminate confusion?

The C555 concrete moisture meter from Wagner Meters is that tool. This useful tool identifies moisture hotspots and guides further moisture measurement methods, like checking relative humidity.

When paired with Rapid RH in-situ probes, you can guarantee the success of your project using the most accurate moisture testing method. The C555 plus the Rapid RH in-situ probes are truly a dynamic duo.

Using these tools means that you can complete your projects with confidence and bolster your reputation with both residential and commercial clients.

So make a concrete moisture meter part of your best practices when testing for moisture and look forward to the ease that comes with it!

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Jason Spangler

Jason has 20+ years’ experience in sales and sales management in a spectrum of industries and has successfully launched a variety of products to the market, including the original Rapid RH® concrete moisture tests. He currently works with Wagner Meters as our Rapid RH® product sales manager.

Last updated on October 31st, 2024