Moisture test for split level garage/basement

[risc]

We'll be closing on a new (to us) house in early August. My wife's given approval to coat the garage floor as one of the pre-move projects. The house it's a split level with the garage under half of the house. It’s “L” shaped about 650sqft. Slab is almost 50 years old but it looked to be in really good shape.

Given that this is below grade, what additional considerations are there beyond the standard tape down plastic moisture test? Does it matter that I'll be testing in August and not January?

FWIW, the rest of the lower level is finished and we looked really hard but could not find any signs of water intrusion.

 

[JStar4]

I use a moisture meter to test and if there is moisture i put down a moisture vaper barrier first.

 

[Shea]

Sometimes testing for moisture can be a real **** shoot. The reason is that many times the moisture will only occur during certain conditions. For example, if you are testing during the dry months of the year you may get great results, where as if you test during the rainy months you may or may not get as good a result depending on your slab location (above or below grade, etc).

The first thing we recommend is to check for the visual signs first. For example, the easiest indication of moisture is if you have any areas of your slab that show efflorescence. If your initial readings are good, chances are you will get moisture later.

 

[Armorpoxy]

Agree with above, moisture reading is like asking what is the weather, its only as good as the day you read it. Plastic sheet test is normally fine for these types of applications.

If in doubt you can apply a moisture barrier epoxy (we carry one that is pigmented and can be 'flecked' into, but it's not inexpensive) just to play it safe.

 

[risc]

Thanks all. I've got serious coating anxiety. I'm thinking about SupraTile now. It's actually pretty competitive when you compare to the all in price of epoxy and the time spent in prep and application.

 

[Armorpoxy]

Great, the tiles are impervious to water and moisture and we have had no reports of buildup under them.

We give a 20% discount on SupraTile to GJ Members, please call to order.