Once you have done this simple test it is best to have the other more expensive more extensive more trust worthy tests done by professional flooring installers.
Floor plastic moisture test.
Duct tape an 18 inch square piece of plastic onto the exposed concrete and leave it for 16 hours.
Checking your concrete for moisture.
Concrete moisture and vapor test methods 1.
Performing a moisture test.
After 72 hours a humidity reading is taken under the plastic with a dew point hygrometer.
How to test a concrete floor for excessive moisture.
Concrete slabs are naturally breathing elements of a home readily taking in moisture and air expanding and contracting and shifting with nature.
Plastic sheet test astm d 4263 the plastic sheet method was developed by astm international and involves taping a plastic sheet to the surface of the concrete to create a vapor proof seal around the plastic.
To use this method astm d 4263 standard test method for indicating moisture in concrete by the plastic sheet method a plastic sheet is tightly taped to the concrete.
However the reverse is not true.
If moisture appeared on the underside of the plastic consider checking the moisture level with a calcium chloride test or a relative humidity meter.
Condensed moisture accumulation under the plastic at 16 hours can.
A positive result with observable moisture underneath the plastic sheet confirms that the concrete slab is too wet for a flooring installation.
A negative test result a dry plastic sheet with no observable moisture underneath does not necessarily confirm that the slab is sufficiently dry.
This can help you choose a flooring material that can tolerate the measured level of moisture.
One of the simplest most economical test methods for determining whether there may be moisture in concrete is the astm d 4263 concrete moisture test.
The presence of moisture beading underneath the plastic is a good indicator that there is a big moisture issue.
So it is suitable for the case where the application of coatings for concrete surface is planned.
The sheet is left in place for 72 hours then a dewpoint hygrometer is used to test the level of moisture that is in the air under the.
The test shall be conducted prior to the use of coating.
This test method covers the quantitative determination of the rate of moisture vapor emitted from below grade on grade and above grade suspended bare concrete floors.