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This
white paper is designed to provide general contractors, owners and
architects with reliable assessments of substrate conditions. In light
of the many changes in floor coverings and substrates in recent years,
we recognize that flooring contractors or installers may not be the
ones most qualified to determine the suitability of substrates for
floor covering materials. Because
there is broad accepted precedent in the construction industry for
independent testing, it is recommended using qualified independent
testing agencies to test for vapor emissions and alkalinity. In
the increasingly complex world of construction with increasing
environmental requirements, technological changes in formulations and
advances in measuring and testing concrete to provide general
contractors, owners and architects with optimum substrate
conditions/solutions requires greater knowledge and more stringent
attention than ever before. Too, new innovative products, installation
methods/materials and environmental regulations have created a more
complex environment in which floor covering products are installed. By
and large flooring contractors have neither the expertise to determine
such critical points as the chemical composition of concrete nor the
ability to test for compatibility with floor covering products.
Concrete is a specialized trade that requires a very special expertise
and in-depth knowledge in order to determine its suitability for floor
covering installation. Testing
by an independent specialist to determine the suitability for
installation under current complex conditions is a prudent and
necessary safeguard for general contractors, owners and architects. RESPONSIBILITY
AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR TESTING FOREWORD:
With the advent of rapid changes within the construction industry,
including but not limited to:
1.
The loss of asbestos as an ingredient in resilient flooring
2.
The loss of solvents from adhesive and coating systems
3.
Increased use of water to allow easier placement of concrete
4.
Absorptive aggregate in lightweight concrete
5.
Fast track construction schedules
Many
unforeseen problems have surfaced that have lead to unnecessary
disputes, increasing confusion and lawsuits. As an effort to reverse
this trend, a more science-based approach was needed to clearly
identify contributory problems associated with moisture-related
flooring failures, with reasonable expectations for those responsible
for moisture testing.
To
identify those capable of moisture testing and the ancillary tests
that may be appropriate for identification and diagnoses, the
following contributing factors are to be considered within the
evaluation and selection process of an appropriate inspector and/or
testing agency.
FACTORS
TO CONSIDER
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Site
Conditions:
It
is important that the selected testing personnel at least be familiar
with site conditions with a given building project.
Soil
Conditions:
Wet
Dry
Expansive
Non-expansive
Free Draining
Non free draining
Water table
-
Water table location (seasonality to its level and/or volume)
Inert
Contaminated
Underslab
Conditions:
Vapor retarder yes or no. Also note: type, location, properly
installed, properly protected during placement and subsequent
construction.
Sub-base
-
Cut
-
Fill
Blotter layer note if included or omitted. If included note if it
is a compactable or noncompactable type.
Screeding Note whether screed stakes or form screeding was used.
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Concrete:
Water to cement ratio of the mix design
Type and grade of aggregate
Time of transit from plant to site. Also note any delays, for any
reason.
Rotations used in each load.
Temperature of the concrete mix at time of delivery.
Slump at time of placement.
How much, if any, add water was used for delivery and placement of the
concrete mixture?
Water added to the aggregate (lightweight concrete). Was it factored
into the water to cement calculations?
Curing method: Curing agent, impermeable sheet, curing compounds, none
used. How long was the concrete cured?
Concrete finishing: hard troweled, power troweled, etc.
Admixtures: If used, what type (i.e. CaCl, fly ash, plasticizer, water
reducers, etc.)?
Building
Envelope Condition/Environment:
Temperature of room
Relative humidity of room
Concrete surface temperature
Air movement
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SUMMARY
With
all the above referenced factors listed, it is unreasonable to expect
a general contractor, concrete contractor or a flooring installer to
have sufficient expertise to anticipate and ask the proper questions
for evaluation of potential concrete/flooring problems. Another
complicating factor is that each has a vested interest on the testing
and/or performance outcome of the installation.
Flooring
contractors should be made aware of test results, as all flooring
manufacturers have placed upward tolerable limits of moisture vapor
emission for the installation of their products, most have also
recognized that adhesives will cure within a moderate range of pH.
However, flooring contractors expertise should, by requirement, be
limited to flooring materials and their installation. Changes in
construction materials and practices should not lead to a mandatory in
depth expertise of all the disciplines mentioned above.
It
is therefore our recommendation that concrete moisture vapor emission
testing be performed by qualified independent agencies.
Adopted:
10/25/2001
Endorsing
Industry Associations and Organizations
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The
Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI)
Werner Braun, President
PO Box 2048
Dalton, GA 30722
Tel: 706-278-3176 · 800-822-8846
Fax: 706-278-8835
www.carpet-rug.com
Floor
Covering Installation Contractors
Association (FCICA)
Kimberly E. Oderkirk, Executive VP
7439 Millwood Dr
West Bloomfield, MI 48322
Tel: 248-661-5015 · Fax: 248-661-5018
e-mail: info@fcica.com
www.fcica.com
Floor
Installation Association of North
America (FIANA)
Jim Lee, President
PO Box 5505
Granbury, TX 76049
Tel: 817-326-2615 · Fax: 817-326-4097
e-mail: info@fiana.org
www.fiana.org
Greater
New York Floor Coverers
Association, Inc.
David Meberg, President
James Dipelesi, Executive Director
55 Mineola Blvd
Mineola, NY 11501
Tel: 516-746-5515 · Fax: 516-746-7691
www.nyfloorcoverers.com
International
Certified Floorcovering
Installers Association (CFI)
Jim Walker, CEO
2400 East Truman Rd
Kansas City, MO 64127-2038
Tel: 816-231-4646 · Fax: 816-231-4343
e-mail: cfiguy@earthlink.net
www.cfiinstallers.com Institute
of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC)
Lee R. Zimmerman, President
2715 E. Mill Plain Blvd.
Vancouver, WA 98661
Tel: 360-693-5675 · Fax: 360-693-4858
e-mail: iicrc@e-z.net
www.iicrc.org |
International
Society of Cleaning
Technicians (ISCT)
Linda Kanouse, Executive Director
4965 West 14th St
Speedway, IN 46224
Tel: 800-949-4728 · Fax: 317-241-5931
National
Association of Floor Covering
Distributors (NAFCD)
Mariann Gregory, Executive Director
401 N Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60611
Tel: 312-321-6836 · Fax: 312-245-1085
e-mail: info@nafcd.org
www.nafcd.org
Professional
Flooring Installers
Association (PFIA)
Mike OConnell, VP
PO Box 411955
Chicago, IL 60641-1955
Voice Mail/Fax: 773-283-2885
www.pfia.org
Resilient
Floor Covering Institute (RFCI)
Douglas Wiegand, Managing Director
401 E Jefferson St Ste 102
Rockville, MD 20850-2617
Tel: 301-340-8580 · Fax: 301-340-7283
www.rfci.com
Restoration
Industry Association (RIA)
Larry Jacobson, Executive Director
8229 Cloverleaf Dr Ste 460
Millersville, MD 21108-1592
Tel: 410-729-9900 · 800-272-7012
Fax: 410-729-3603
www.ascr.org
StarNet
Commercial Flooring Cooperative
Lori Dowling, Executive Director
44 East Ridge Rd
Ridgefield, CT 06877
Tel: 800-787-6381 · Fax: 203-431-6610
www.starnetflooring.com
World
Floor Covering Association (WFCA)
D. Christopher Davis, CEO
2211 E Howell Ave
Anaheim, CA 92806
Tel: 714-978-6440 · 800-624-6880
Fax: 714-978-6066
e-mail: cdavis@wfca.org
www.wfca.org |
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