“Why do testing?  The simplest reason why is to follow the industry standard: ASTM F710, Standard Practice for Preparing Concrete Floors to Receive Resilient Flooring. The language in the standard is very simple, and uses legal terms like “all,” “shall” and “regardless” that don’t allow for any wiggle room. “All concrete slabs shall be tested for moisture, regardless of age or grade level.”

Most manufacturers of floor coverings, adhesives and patching compounds say the same thing. If you don’t test, the finger WILL get pointed at you, believe me. If your customer doesn’t want to bear the cost or take the time to have testing done, make sure that you document this fact.

As far as the methodology for moisture testing, remember moisture is invisible, so touching, smelling or looking at the slab cannot determine if there is moisture present. The old “tape a plastic sheet to the floor” does not work, no matter what you’ve heard before. Handheld electronic moisture meters are often used as a “spot” test, but they are not recognized as a “go or no go” test for moisture.”

To read more click the link below!

Relative Humidity Testing for Concrete ASTM F2170 Becoming the Preferred Method

By: Christopher Capobianco
Floor Covering Installer
May 17, 2013

Read Article Here:

http://www.fcimag.com/articles/89577-relative-humidity-testing-for-concrete-astm-f2170-becoming-the-preferred-method