October 29/November 5, 2018: Volume 34, Issue 10
By Lindsay Baillie
A floor’s ability to resist water starts with a properly prepared subfloor. To that end, many adhesive manufacturers are developing moisture-mitigating products and systems to assist installers during the installation process.
Following is a sampling of some of the new adhesives and systems designed to inhibit moisture in the subfloor.
DriTac
DriTac 7800 Supreme Green is DriTac’s latest multifunctional adhesive solution for the wood flooring industry. The product is a single-component, premium sound and moisture control hybrid polymer adhesive that can serve to isolate old cutback adhesive residue and suppress concrete subfloor cracks.
Supreme Green also provides unlimited subfloor moisture control with no testing required and has a lifetime warranty. “This is the very first wood flooring adhesive that offers five installation solutions in one pail, allowing retailers to now stock one SKU where several were required in the past,” said John Lio, vice president of marketing.
DriTac 7800 does not contain isocyanates, VOCs or solvents and has been independently tested and certified by CRI for indoor air quality. What’s more, Supreme Green is manufactured in the U.S., and the product can be used to install multi-ply engineered plank, solid wood plank, bamboo flooring and more.
Sika
SikaBond-T21, a polyurethane, all-in-one adhesive, and SikaBond-T100, a hybrid polyurethane all-in-one adhesive, are two of Sika’s moisture mitigating products. Both can be used for solid planks up to 8-inches wide and engineered planks up to 14-inches wide as well as mosaic parquets, industrial parquets, wood paving, chip boards and plywood.
According to the company, once cured, both products generate a strong bond to a variety of substrates for glue-down installations. In addition, SikaBond-T21 and T-100 form membranes that reduce moisture vapor transmission from the subfloor and reduce sound. Both products are also permanently elastic, allowing planks to expand without damage to the adhesive. SikaBond-T21 can be elongated up to 270% and T-100 up to 150%.
No moisture testing is required with the use of SikaBond-21 and T-100, and both have excellent Green Grab, according to Sika.
Laticrete
Laticrete’s NXT Vapor Reduction Coating is a single-coat, low-odor, 100% solids epoxy coating designed for controlling the moisture vapor emission rate from new or existing concrete slabs. In addition to being UL Greenguard certified and a component of the Laticrete system warranty, NXT Vapor Reduction Coating is compatible with NXT underlayments as well as non-water-based adhesives for hardwood, vinyl, carpet and tile installations.
NXT Vapor Reduction Coating offers installers an insurance policy against excess moisture levels as well as wrapping the Laticrete flooring system in a long-term warranty, according to Jeff Bonkiewicz, Laticrete channel manager.
Additionally, the product can be applied over new concrete in as little as five days. It also features fast-curing properties that allow for finishing floor coverings or NXT underlayments to be applied within 12 hours.
Schönox
Schönox EPA and EPA Rapid are two of the company’s moisture mitigation solutions that can be used prior to applying an adhesive. These products not only offer a one-coat application, a low viscosity and moisture resistance up to 100% RH, but they are also suitable for both interior and exterior applications. These rapid curing, two-part, epoxy-based moisture mitigation systems contribute to LEED v4 category EQc2 with one to three points in low-emitting materials. What’s more, EPA has been designed for leveling in four to six hours, while EPA Rapid is ready for leveling in as little as two hours.
Once the concrete surface is sufficiently smooth and level, a Schönox adhesive can be applied directly to EPA and EPA Rapid within the first 48 hours after curing. The company’s recommended adhesives are Schönox MSP Classic, Schönox Emiclassic and Schönox Roll and Go.
Gerflor
The Gerflor Dry-Tex System is a moisture mitigation system integrated into the backing of the flooring. It is a 100% full-spread adhesive solution applied directly to the slab, resulting in no risk of the floor curling or shifting under pressure from rolling loads, according to the company.
The Gerflor Dry-Tex System withstands up to 100% RH and 25 lbs of moisture. Products installed using the Gerflor Dry-Tex System will not promote mold growth on, within or directly under the installed floor, according to the company.
The Gerflor Dry-Tex System also offers up to 70% cost savings compared to third-party mitigation systems, because there is no additional labor required or need to purchase moisture barriers.
