Understanding the Limitations of Water-Based Adhesives

aUTHORED bY: WOODY BELFLOWER

A seasoned flooring professional with more than 30 years of industry expertise. He provides customers with knowledge and solutions as Maxxon’s Technical Services Specialist.

How to Prevent Flooring Failures Caused by Re-Emulsification.

Water-based commercial flooring adhesives were developed in response to the EPA’s directive to eliminate VOCs and odors associated with solvent-based adhesives. While these water-based adhesives contribute to a healthier environment for flooring installers and building occupants, in the presence of slab moisture, these adhesives are prone to re-emulsification.

Spotting Re-Emulsification

Once a water-based adhesive re-emulsifies, the adhesive can seep through the seams of carpet tile and LVT. Adhesive oozing from flooring seams, peaked seams or a darkening around the edges, where the adhesive has attracted dirt or grime, are visible clues to an issue. You may notice carpet tile curling or the floor covering separating from the floor because the adhesive has lost its tack, you may also see peeling, buckling or doming. These are all telltale signs that something's going on beneath the floor covering.

Why Failures Happen

In my experience, re-emulsification of adhesives is typically triggered by a change in the environment underneath the floor covering that causes slab moisture to rise to the surface. If the moisture can’t escape through the floor covering, the water and pH build up underneath. This moisture build-up creates a chemical reaction that breaks down the adhesive bond and performance, sometimes dissolving the adhesive into a sludge-like liquid.

Where and When to Expect Moisture

Any commercial environment directly on-grade or below grade is highly susceptible to moisture driving up from the substrate or through the substrate from the earth, especially when a moisture vapor retarder wasn’t used or has eroded over time. Issues of failure may appear within six weeks, six months, six years or more, and they are very common.

Challenges After the Fact

Addressing moisture after the flooring has been installed and the building is occupied exponentially increases costs and difficulty. Moving people, furniture, computers, and other peripherals adds more expense, inconvenience, and complexity to the repair process.

Testing is Non-Negotiable

To avoid the risk of re-dos and dissatisfied customers, the most important advice I can give is to perform moisture testing. If you don't know the rate the concrete is emitting moisture or how much moisture is present in the slab, then you're rolling the dice on installation. You need to evaluate the substrate based on the flooring manufacturers’ guidelines, commonly using approved moisture-testing methods, ASTM 1869 and ASTM 2170. A moisture impedance meter, which simply measures a very small portion underneath the surface of the slab, is only an indicator of moisture and not a suitable alternative to ASTM tests.

If a flooring failure has already occurred, perform moisture testing. Testing will tell you the condition of the slab and how much moisture is present. You want to know: is it a high-pH slab? Is it a high-moisture slab? Or is it a high-moisture and high-pH slab?

Test at the Right Time

Another vital element is the timing of the tests — they need to be conducted in a time frame that’s close to installation to ensure accuracy of the readings. If moisture is present, it must be addressed prior to the installation of the flooring material. Project budgets and schedules should account for this potential scenario, especially for on-grade or below-grade installations.

Three Ways to Protect Your Project

To mitigate moisture, Maxxon offers three products — all specified up to 100% RH and up to 14 pH:

• Maxxon® Commercial MVP One is a roller-applied, ready-to-use moisture barrier which penetrates clean, porous concrete and requires a CSP of 1.
• Maxxon® Commercial MVP Two is a 100% solids two-part epoxy which requires a CSP of 3 to 4.
• Maxxon® Commercial Isolate is a roller-applied, two-part, water-based epoxy that does not require porosity or mechanical profiling. It may also be used to block the migration of contaminants in the slab.

MVP One and MVP Two are specified up to 25 MVER. Isolate is specified up to 14 pounds MVER with one coat, and up to 19 pounds MVER with two coats. To help you determine the best product for your project, view Maxxon’s Moisture Mitigation Product Selector Tool featured here.

Don’t Risk Your Business

When moisture is present and the customer doesn’t want to pay for mitigation, I've advised people to walk away. You don’t want to risk taking a project that could put you out of business.

What High-Moisture-Resistant Really Means

Another common misconception people make is believing that selecting a high-moisture-resistant adhesive eliminates the need for moisture testing or moisture mitigation. But high-moisture-resistant adhesives merely warrant they won’t break down in the presence of moisture. These products won’t protect the floor covering that's installed on top of them and they’re not going to stop moisture from escaping through the adhesive.

Everybody wants an “easy button” when it comes to moisture, but proper testing and mitigating any issues before the flooring is installed is the only effective course of action.

Have questions on how Maxxon combats moisture? Contact us to reach out to our team of experts.