Floor Prep Question - Humidity

[brow318]

Hey everyone. I am getting ready to epoxy my garage floor. I have a concern over what appears to be like the floor is sweating when it's really humid. The picture below shows what I am talking about.

It's about 65 degrees out right now and the humidity is about 90%. I only see this on the floor when its very humid and raining at the same time. Is this something I can prep and deal with or am I out of luck in using epoxy?

Thanks,
Kevin

Added link in reply below:

 

[brow318]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/72124212@N04/6513140957/in/set-72157628422654867/lightbox/

 

[thegarageguy]

Looks like you def have a moisture issue. Typically we take core tests and send it out for lab analysis, then get a recommended system by a manufacturer. You have a choice of a water proofing primer, the epoxy poly type system or a urethane concrete type system. Only these 2 will solve your moisture issues.

You may want to consult with a qualified contractor. Good luck

 

[dcs Inc]

Get a anhydrous calcium chloride test kit to see if the moisture is coming from the concrete. I suspect this is just a sweating issue from all the moisture in the air but it would be good to confirm before applying a non breathing topical sealant. I sell these for $10.00 plus shipping.

What you need before thinking of applying anything is to find out just where the moisture is coming from. If the domed test kit does show a reading higher than 3 pounds of water coming from the concrete it's self, then a vapor barrier would be the ticket as a primer coat. Just to give you and idea of costs for a vapor barrier sq. ft. cost, we sell our VB5 vapor barrier epoxy for around 22 cents a square foot. This is reported to hold back as much as 12 pounds of vapor emissions. per 1000 sq. ft

Now the recommended procedure is to have 3 test kits per 1000 sq. ft. area if you want a more accurate assessment. You will need a gram scale to measure the before and after weight of the hockey puck.
Here's the website of the test kits I sell. www.vaporgauge.com
Follow the instructions and if you have any questions you can call them or give me a yell.

Before you apply anything to your slab, you need the get the humidity levels down. A dehumidifier would work wonders. Get it down to about 50% and you will not have any problems with surface tension on the epoxy. There are other suggestions and I think I have posted them on this board some where on prep and placement procedures.
Good luck with your project. gene ec-Indy

www.elitecreteindiana.com
www.indycrete.com

 

[pauls340]

Kevin, what part of the country are you located?