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KITCHENS, BATHROOMS & DISABILITY NEEDS
Flooring installations in damp and humid environments
Appropriate subfloor preparation is imperative to ensuring a long-lasting, professional flooring finish and to avoid floor failure
Neil Sanders, Technical Director at UK manufacturer of subfloor preparation products and floorcoverings adhesives, F. Ball and Co. Ltd., discusses the variables to consider when determining how to ensure long-lasting resilient flooring installations in damp and humid environments. looring in kitchens, bathrooms and wetrooms is exposed to varying degrees of moisture. This necessitates special consideration when installing floorcoverings in these settings to ensure that installations remain in good condition in between refurbishments.
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Subfloor preparation Water that is allowed to get beneath resilient floorcoverings, such as vinyl sheet and tiles, can attack adhesives, causing floorcoverings to blister and debond and damage subfloors that are sensitive to moisture, leading to costly floor failures and recalls. Key to preventing this is the use of suitably moisture resistant adhesives and floorcoverings (which depends on how
much water they will be exposed to), as well as proper subfloor preparation. Appropriate subfloor preparation is imperative to ensuring a long-lasting, professional flooring finish and avoiding floor failure. Before proceeding with any floorcovering installation, it’s important to make sure that the subfloor is suitably sound, smooth and free of any surface contaminants, including old adhesive residues. In accordance with British Standards, F. Ball recommends the use of a precalibrated digital hygrometer to measure the relative humidity (RH) levels within the subfloor as part of any floorcovering installation. If subfloor relative humidity levels exceed 75% RH, a moisture management solution, such as a liquid waterproof surface membrane, will be
required to prevent excess subfloor moisture attacking adhesives and damaging floorcoverings.
Floorcoverings Resilient floorcoverings are an obvious choice for damp and humid environments because they are not affected by moisture like other types of floorcoverings, such as wood, and can easily be cleaned. Vinyl planks or tiles may be installed in humid environments, such as domestic bathrooms. However, the installation of vinyl sheet is recommended in wetrooms and other areas where floors will be subject to high levels of moisture, including standing water. In these situations, seams must be welded to ensure a watertight seal and prevent an ingression of water. For the
