Bamboo and Exotic Wood Floors - Roberts 906 sealant applied before 1408 glue

Hi,

We have a contractor working on installing bamboo flooring on a concrete subfloor that previously had carpet. He leveled and scraped the floor and now has treated it with Roberts 906 concrete silicate sealer. That is waiting 2 days to dry, now. His next step is going to be to glue the bamboo with Roberts 1408 urethane adhesive.

Now I'm reading in these forums that a concrete sealer is not the same as a moisture barrier and that the 1408 should not be used over the 906. I've verified the 1408 datasheet says that the floor should be free of "seals".

Given that the bamboo has not been laid down yet, can you give any recommendations of what to do now? Should we try to scrape/grind off the sealer, or is there a different type of adhesive that would be OK to use over the seal? Thanks for any suggestions!

Andrew

Hi, just to follow up on this: I called Roberts Consolidated and was put in touch with a technical specialist right away. The person was very helpful, explained that 906 is a bit different in this regard than regular sealers, and was OK for this application. I also got an e-mail response from their web site as follows:

906 is ok to use in conjunction with 1408. As with any installation of a wood floor, you must perform moisture readings on the substrate before and after the application of the 906. To ensure a true reading the 906 must be completely cured. Moisture levels must be controlled/ monitored whenever wood floors are installed. All installation requirements and recommendations must be strictly followed for best results.

Phew. Now I can start worrying about the floor prep, the humidity, the dryness, the mold, the bacteria and whatever else else that can go wrong. ;)

Awesome! I'm glad you called the manufacturer FIRST! Make sure you have documentation stating this just incase you need to file a warranty claim in the future.