Rugs, Carpets and Carpeting - Fixing Humidity Problems for House on Slab
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Mark Smith
01-26-06, 10:07 AM
We live in a 150 year old carriage house. I can only guess that the conctrete slab is at least 40 years old. There is some noticeable settling and cracks (when I pulled up a corner of the carpet) that leads me to believe the slab was not laid professionally and would most likely lack a vapor barrier under it.
We want to replace the carpet in the entire house (as well as replace the vinyl flooring in the kitchen with ceramic tile). I believe that the biggest factor for the humidity problem (worst in the summer) is the slab. (I have corrected all of the grading issues outside and plan on putting in a fan vent for the attic.) I want to take care of the settling and cracking issues, and put a sealer or membrane down prior to carpeting and tiling.
I see Redgard recommended highly in this forum but I am ready to give up finding it in this area after calling dozens of supposed distributors including HD (and none of them will order it for me.) Are there any comparable products that you would recommend? (HD sells Drylok.)
We went to a carpet store over the weekend, explained the situation with the slab, and were advised that Karistan makes a pad (expensive) that is designed to deal with the moisture issues on a concrete slab. I never heard of a product like that. Do you have any opinions?
Do you have any recommendations for the right slab leveling product?
How important is it to do a sophisticated calcium chloride test? (The test kit seems reasonable but the measuring equipment is very expensive.)
Sorry for the length of this. Great forum. I appreciate opinions on any or all of my questions.
We want to replace the carpet in the entire house (as well as replace the vinyl flooring in the kitchen with ceramic tile). I believe that the biggest factor for the humidity problem (worst in the summer) is the slab. (I have corrected all of the grading issues outside and plan on putting in a fan vent for the attic.) I want to take care of the settling and cracking issues, and put a sealer or membrane down prior to carpeting and tiling.
I see Redgard recommended highly in this forum but I am ready to give up finding it in this area after calling dozens of supposed distributors including HD (and none of them will order it for me.) Are there any comparable products that you would recommend? (HD sells Drylok.)
We went to a carpet store over the weekend, explained the situation with the slab, and were advised that Karistan makes a pad (expensive) that is designed to deal with the moisture issues on a concrete slab. I never heard of a product like that. Do you have any opinions?
Do you have any recommendations for the right slab leveling product?
How important is it to do a sophisticated calcium chloride test? (The test kit seems reasonable but the measuring equipment is very expensive.)
Sorry for the length of this. Great forum. I appreciate opinions on any or all of my questions.