Floor Vapor Barrier

[BillGalbraith]

Talked to the contractor that is going to build my 28x28 garage, hopefully starting soon. I mentioned that I wanted 15 mil vapor barrier under the concrete, since that's what I saw SOMEWHERE on the GJ. I eventually found something for Stego Wrap, 15 mil. My builder said that he uses 4 mil, which is thicker than the 15 mil. He claimed it was like wire guage, where smaller is better. I didn't know absolutely positively that I was right and he was wrong. 15 mil is just .015", right? Was it possible that he was thinking of something else? I hate to piss him off right off, since we haven't even signed a contract yet.

Is Stego the stuff I sould use, or is there better stuff?

 

[D.J.]

To my knowledge you are correct about 15 mil being thicker than 4 mil, and he is wrong. It is a metric size and is not like wiring.
Thanks D.J.
________
Lamborghini 400Gt Specifications

 

[bobabuee]

4 mil ? that like putting down contractor clean up bags. in a house on slab to put sub floor you use minumim of 10 mil so i would suggest at least 10 to 15 mil ,wire size vs mil thickness wire size lower is thicker mil size greater number thicker it is normal trash bag is 1.3 mil contractor bags are 3 to 4mil thick just double check with him on that .

 

[WolverineCoatings]

My advice... Fire this guy... he is either not knowledgeable enough to build a garage OR... he's a liar. Get a new contractor... Quick!!!

15>4

 

[bmwpower]

You are right. He is wrong.

Go into Home Depot. Look at the different plastic sheeting products, trash bags, etc. They have mil thickness listed on the packaging.

Find a new guy.

 

[AlphaGarage]

A "mil" is equal to 1/1,000 of an inch, or 0.001 (international) inch.

So a 15 mil sheet is almost 4 x as thick as a 4 mil sheet.

The fact that a millimeter is sometimes referred to as a "mill" does confuse the issue. For the record 1 mil = 0.0254 millimeters, and 1 millimeter = 39.3700787 mil.

 

[mpraddict]

Your contractor is an idiot

 

[Dan0myte]

15 mil. My builder said that he uses 4 mil, which is thicker than the 15 mil. He claimed it was like wire gauge, where smaller is better.

Oh man, that made my day. Hilarious.

 

[AlphaGarage]

My builder said that he uses 4 mil, which is thicker than the 15 mil. He claimed it was like wire guage, where smaller is better.

Oh man, that made my day. Hilarious.

His contractor probably thought it was closing time, Friday night, local pick up bar.

 

[mad57]

Either hes a ***** or hes trying to cheap out on ur build. watch him carefully!!!

 

[Snap50]

STEGO is the absolute best that there is. USE IT.
We use it as the premium protection on all commercial and institutional buildings.
If there are any seams, be sure to use their sealing tape to seal them up.

 

[AMCguy]

I used 1 1/2'' styrofoam board then 6 mill poly. I am very glad I did.

 

[BioHazard]

I agree, this guy is an idiot and I wouldn't hire him....

BUT, 15 mil is about twice as thick as you need...the fact that no home store sells anything near that thickness is proof enough...

 

[BillGalbraith]

STEGO is the absolute best that there is. USE IT.
We use it as the premium protection on all commercial and institutional buildings.
If there are any seams, be sure to use their sealing tape to seal them up.

I bought a 210' roll of the 10 mil stuff, and a roll of tape. Total was $347 with tax. It fit in the back of my Grand Prix, with the seat folded down. I really only needed a little bit (60'), but my neighbor is also building an addition, and I talked him into buying my remains, which is more than enough for him to do his floor as well.

It's funny, because all the concrete guys that I've talked too all said just 4 mil stuff. I wonder how many of them will change their minds based on my experiences.

Oh, and the builder admitted that he made a mistake. He didn't understand what I was talking about, and agreed with my purchase. He's had water issues in the past.

 

[nate379]

Never heard of using 4 or 15 mil. Normal around this neck of the woods is 6 mil. I have had it on the floor of my garage for about 6 months and it's held up find to working on vehicles, welding, etc.

If your wondering, I rolled it out to protect the epoxy job with plans to paint the walls, just haven't gotten around to that yet.

 

[4.0 Rambler]

The sales manager at a a local contractor supply house recommended Stego vapor barrier. He said poly film breaks down under concrete and within 5 years it turns to ****.

The union concrete finishers agreed that Stego was the best product available.

Note because all the moisture has to come out the top of the concrete instead of down through the gravel the finish process takes much longer. We finished the pour and leveling at 1030AM and the power trowel came off the floor at 11PM.

 

[BioHazard]

He said poly film breaks down under concrete and within 5 years it turns to ****.

I dug a hole in the floor of my old shop for a sump pump, through about 8" of concrete. I know the place was remodeled in '94 so it was at least 15 years old, though I think the floor was there long before the remodel. The plastic was very tough, looked like standard black 6 mil, with maybe 8" of gravel underneath. It wasn't broken down in the least, and there was definately no moisture problems.

 

[jct]

Around here (PA) 6mil is typical, but for those who want quality, Stego is the way to go.