racedeck and moisture

[91 zeee]

Got a bit of a strange problem. I have a 30 year old garage. Concrete is in good shape.
In the back room of the garage (we use it as an exercise room) the previous owner put a 'parquet' wood floor down over the concrete. It is (was) in good shape with no issues. That is, until I put black exercise mats down on the floor (the rubber kind that lock together). A few months later, under the mats, the floor warped and started bowing and I was getting some mold under the rubber mats.
I taped some clear plastic down and got no condensation after a couple days. However, clearly there is moisture coming from somewhere.
Anyway, my solution to the problem will be free flow racedeck. I'm gonna pull the wood floor up, put the racedeck down and that way the moisture can migrate up; the floor can breathe, etc.... Is that an ok solution? (seems that sealing the concrete would be problematic and trap the moisture??)

 

[boobag]

sounds like a good plan

 

[TONE]

Sounds like a great solution. I would probably go the same route if I was in your shoes.

 

[91 zeee]

it just seems weird that the moisture never harmed the wood until I put the mat on top of it. this wood parquet locks together like hardwood; no gaps

 

[Shea]

it just seems weird that the moisture never harmed the wood until I put the mat on top of it. this wood parquet locks together like hardwood; no gaps

The moisture was making its way through the wood as vapor. Wood will not seal the moisture out. When you laid down the rubber mats, the vapor escaping the wood could not escape from under the mats and condensed to water, thus the damage.

One thing to keep in mind is that moisture vapor can come up through concrete during different times of the year, a day or so after a rain storm, and for various other reasons. It may not always be there. That is why the plastic bag test is not always the best indicator.

The RaceDeck idea is fine and you shouldn't have any issues. Personally, once the wood is pulled up and the concrete cleaned, I would apply a good penetrating sealer. It's inexpensive and will not change the look of the concrete or create a film on top. It will slow down your moisture vapor issue or stop it all together.

 

[BillK]

It might not be a bad idea to try to find out where the moisture is coming from first.

 

[Garage Flooring]

Got a bit of a strange problem. I have a 30 year old garage. Concrete is in good shape.
In the back room of the garage (we use it as an exercise room) the previous owner put a 'parquet' wood floor down over the concrete. It is (was) in good shape with no issues. That is, until I put black exercise mats down on the floor (the rubber kind that lock together). A few months later, under the mats, the floor warped and started bowing and I was getting some mold under the rubber mats.
I taped some clear plastic down and got no condensation after a couple days. However, clearly there is moisture coming from somewhere.
Anyway, my solution to the problem will be free flow racedeck. I'm gonna pull the wood floor up, put the racedeck down and that way the moisture can migrate up; the floor can breathe, etc.... Is that an ok solution? (seems that sealing the concrete would be problematic and trap the moisture??)

The moisture was making its way through the wood as vapor. Wood will not seal the moisture out. When you laid down the rubber mats, the vapor escaping the wood could not escape from under the mats and condensed to water, thus the damage.

One thing to keep in mind is that moisture vapor can come up through concrete during different times of the year, a day or so after a rain storm, and for various other reasons. It may not always be there. That is why the plastic bag test is not always the best indicator.

The RaceDeck idea is fine and you shouldn't have any issues. Personally, once the wood is pulled up and the concrete cleaned, I would apply a good penetrating sealer. It's inexpensive and will not change the look of the concrete or create a film on top. It will slow down your moisture vapor issue or stop it all together.

It might not be a bad idea to try to find out where the moisture is coming from first.

Clean the floor and clean it well. Then apply a product like TrueLock B4 and then RaceDeck (or TrueLock if your want to save $$) Free flow tiles. At this point you are not doing any additional damage and have helped some. BUT

It definitely would be a good idea to explore the moisture issue.