ProductFocus
Subfloors + Subloor Prep
Underneath it All
T
he best installation, sand and finish job isn’t worth much if what’s underneath it wasn’t ready for the job. Subfloors and subfloor prep products are essential for a successful job. On the following pages, you’ll find the most up-to-date products that will help your installations succeed.
All Globe Inc. All Globe’s new underlayment, Silicon Vapor Shield, is designed for radiant-heated hardwood flooring. It has been tested in 100-degree-Fahrenheit conditions without detection of breakdown or odor, the company says. www.allglobe.ca
Bostik Inc. Bostik’s MVP4 (Moisture Vapor Protection) is a one-part, trowel-applied, elastomeric, moisture-cure urethane membrane designed to reduce moisture vapor transmission from the subfloor, create a noise reduction barrier over the substrate, and establish an anti-fracture membrane that can bridge subfloor cracks up to 1⁄8 inch prior to or after installation. It contains Bostik’s Blockade antimicrobial agent. www.bostik-us.com
Chemque Inc.
Ecore International
Chemque’s Fortane MVS Ultra Moisture Vapor & Acoustical Urethane Membrane reduces moisture vapor transmission to extremely low levels and provides enhanced acoustical properties, the company says, adding that it has excellent flow and self-leveling properties, outstanding elasticity, can bridge cracks up to 1⁄8 inch and is VOC-compliant. It is compatible with Fortane and Fortane LD. www.fortane.com
QT Sound Insulation is made from 100 percent recycled rubber that can be used under all floor finishes, gypsum or full-weight concrete. It is designed to solve almost any impact sound problem, and it can be used in any multi-level building. QT is backed by 185 independent laboratory and field tests, the company says. www.ecoreintl.com
DriTac Flooring Products LLC DriTac 8000 Moisture Guard is a one-component, low-VOC concrete sealer that forms a smooth, protective membrane on concrete subfloors and significantly reduces moisture vapor transmission. DriTac 8000 Moisture Guard is a trowelapplied urethane moisture barrier and crack-suppressant system that bridges cracks in a concrete substrate up to 1⁄8inch wide. www.dritac.com
Fortifiber Building Systems Group Fortifiber manufactures vapor retarder membranes, including the economical HWD-15 and highperformance Aquabar “B,” for use over wood subfloors. Moistop Ultra, an impermeable moisture barrier, is Fortifiber’s best choice for eliminating moisture migration in crawlspaces and over concrete subfloors, the company says. www.fortifiber.com
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Product Focus | Subfloors + Subfloor Prep Franklin International Titebond 531 Moisture Control System reduces the moisture vapor within any concrete slab (up to 12 pounds) to acceptable levels, the company says. The system consists of two pre-measured components mixed together to form an adhesive. Titebond 531 is fully warranted when used as directed with recommended Franklin International wood flooring adhesives. www.titebond.com
Loba-Wakol LLC Loba-Wakol LLC has introduced its Wakol PU 280 Moisture Barrier. PU 280 is a one-component, solvent-free and lowodor polyurethane-based moisture barrier that can be applied with a roller. After approximately two hours, Wakol MS 260 Polymer Adhesive may be applied, the company says. www.wakol.com
MAPEI Corporation MAPEI’s Planiseal EMB epoxy moisture barrier reduces the moisture vapor emission rate of concrete measuring as high as 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet per 24 hours to less than 3 pounds, the company says. MAPEI says one coat of this 100 percent solids, two-part product is enough to prepare concrete substrates for any floor covering. www.mapei.com
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Maxxon Corporation Maxxon’s Therma-Floor is the thermal mass any radiant heating product needs to work, the company says. It can be used in single rooms or throughout an entire dwelling. The product contains recycled materials, making it Greenguard Childrenand Schools-certified. It should be poured 1¼ to 1½ inch thick, and can be used with any hydronic heating tube or cable. www.maxxon.com
MP Global MP Global Products’ QuietWalk increases absorbency and dissipation of moisture. The floating wood and laminate floor underlayment includes a polymer that improves moisture carrying capacity. Its QuietWarmth is an energy-efficient heating element attached to a roll-out recycled fiber padding that serves as an insulator of the slab below. www.quietwalk.com
Product Focus | Subfloors + Subfloor Prep Para-Chem Southern Inc.
Para-Chem has introduced a one-step Intelligent Flooring System for the installation of all types of hardwood flooring. IFS is offered in acrylic for engineered wood and urethane for solids, exotics, bamboo and teak. Both provide great moisture protection and are LEED-compliant. www.parabond.com
Protecto Wrap Company Protecto offers Whisper Mat HW for engineered hardwood, parquet and laminate flooring and Whisper Mat HW Plus, which also offers protection from subfloor moisture emissions. Whisper Mat HW is a peel-and-stick non-permeable sheet membrane. It is designed for use with engineered wood plank, wood parquet and laminate floors where sound control is required, specified or desired. www.protectowrap.com
RB Rubber Products Inc. RB Silent Tread XL, an acoustical underlayment with vapor barrier, is designed to reduce roomto-room ambient noise. Easy and fast to install, RB Silent Tread XL lies flat to reduce minor subfloor imperfections. It can be used with most floor constructions—concrete or wood—for laminate, hardwood, engineered wood and tile flooring. www.rbrubber.com
Signature Innovations LLC Signature Innovations’ FlexiKork is manufactured from cork and recycled rubber. It offers sound control, flexibility and shock absorption. It is anti-microbial and has a construction height as low as 1⁄8 inch, and the company says it’s suitable for use with all floor heating systems. www.signaturehardwoods.com
Stauf-USA Adhesive LLC Stauf offers three products for subfloors: CCF-30 Concrete Crack Filler, FLC-500 Leveling Compound and CFP-520 Concrete Floor Patch. CCF-30 is a two-component polyester resin-based crack filler that contains no water or solvents. FLC-500 is a PVA-dispersion, powderbased leveling compound with no solvents and no VOCs. CFP-520 is a fast-setting concrete for filling holes and building ramps. www.staufusa.com
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Product Focus | Subfloors + Subfloor Prep UFloor Systems Inc. UFloor Systems offers Uzin PE 480, a two-component, roller-applied epoxy moisture barrier for the installation of all floor coverings. A water- and solvent-free compound, Uzin PE 480 completely eliminates moisture and vapor transmissions from concrete slab substrates, the company says. The product acts as a restriction-free, damp-proofing barrier against extremely high moisture levels. www.ufloorsystems.com
W.F. Taylor Co. Inc., aka Taylor Adhesives In conjunction with Koester America Corporation, Taylor offers the Taylor 1410 Platinum MAC (Moisture Alkali Control) System. It is a two-part, VOCcompliant system applied in a one-coat application that reduces moisture vapor transmission levels from up to 10 pounds per 1,000 square feet per 24 hours and controls high alkali conditions up to 14 pH, the company says. www.wftaylor.com
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Warmboard Inc. Warmboard radiant subfloor can be used under any floor covering. It has a patented, low-mass design with thick, highly conductive aluminum over the entire surface of 11⁄8-inch, approved tongue-andgroove subfloor material. www.warmboard.com
WE Cork Inc. One of WE Cork’s latest products is WECU-Quietly, a 1⁄8-inch high-density cork underlayment with die-cut rectangular holes for glue-down wood flooring. This system saves on adhesive, WE Corks says, while providing sound control and thermal insulation. The product will not compress over time and is made from 98 percent pre-consumer recycled material. www.wecork.com