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What Can You Do About Concrete Floor Sweating Including Sweating Slab Syndrome Concrete?

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What Can You Do About Concrete Floor Sweating Including Sweating Slab Syndrome Concrete?

Have you thought about getting a concrete floor in your home? Concrete flooring is often used in basements, garages, and patios. However, concrete floors are now something that people are using inside residential homes, not just for warehouses. There are a lot of design styles to choose from and the cost is relatively low. Concrete floors also last a long time. But are you worried about concrete floor sweating? This article will go over sweating slab syndrome concrete so you are aware of how it can happen and what it is.

What Causes Concrete to Sweat

Concrete sweating refers to moisture on the surface of the concrete. If the surface of the floor slab is cooler than the dew point temperature, moisture will condense and form on the slab. The sweating slab syndrome concrete mainly occurs when moist warm air flows into a building with cooler floors.

 

It can also happen if the concrete has a high content of moisture and is strongly cooled. If there is no vapor barrier below the concrete slab, it can have a moisture level of around 90%. The HVAC system could be put on to a few degrees below the ambient temperature. Condensation then can occur underneath the floor covering. This will over time dissolve compounds in the concrete slab and raise ph levels. This will then in turn destroy the adhesive and the floor covering. Concrete floor sweating is best avoided.

Mold Growth on Concrete

Mold is a factor in causing health complications in people when it’s in their homes. Sweaty slabs can facilitate mold growth and this should be avoided. There are some steps that should be taken to avoid mold growth. They are:

 

●      Buildings having good ventilation systems.

●      Vapor barriers between soil and concrete.

●      Insulation in strategic areas.

 

The Alkali-Silica Reaction “Concrete Cancer”

The Alkali-Silica Reaction commonly known as “concrete cancer” occurs when alkaline cement paste reacts with silica. This leads to structural problems such as cracking. This can occur when there is not a vapor barrier between the concrete slab and the soil.

Dangerous Conditions

Moisture on a smooth surface becomes slick which can be a slipping hazard for people. Mold growth becomes dangerous in more than one way. This means that if you have moisture-ridden concrete floors you should call a professional for help. You don’t want to be breathing in mold or slipping on it and hurting yourself.

Hiring a Contractor

You may have decided that concrete floors or for you, or perhaps you have some already that need to be resurfaced and repaired. Concrete can be a beautiful piece of home design and doesn’t have to be industrial. However, you should always hire a good contractor to make sure the job is done correctly without cutting corners. This could lead to concrete floors sweating which you don’t want as it can be dangerous. Sweating slab syndrome concrete can be avoided if your floors are installed properly. 

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