The
big box expert has led you down the paint aisle after
you inquired about sealing your concrete slab. You
didn't know any better, the handyman said you needed a
$25.00 gallon can of sealer for your hardwood glue down
project.
See The
Big Red X?
These
products are not to be used for sealing concrete floors
if you plan any glue down direct application. Yes, they
can be used for floating floors that do not come into
contact with the concrete, but we recommend the use of
sheet plastic (visqueen) moisture barriers regardless.
Older
Moisture Sealing Methods
Up until
the early part of this century many us never saw sealers
that were manufactured in tandem to be used with actual
hardwood flooring adhesives. Prior to that period, if
any high moisture readings were present, solutions were
typically the installation of sheet vinyl before the
actual glue down installation. While vinyl is still used
today, if you plan on using the system, it is vital to
be aware of the hardwood flooring adhesive properties.
Before the
wide spread use of urethane adhesives, vinyl moisture
barriers could be installed with a common adhesives used
to install any vinyl floor. Urethane adhesives changed
that because of their strength. Using an ordinary latex
adhesive in this scenario with a urethane based wood
glue will likely result in de-bonding of the vinyl from
the concrete.
Proper
Sealers For Concrete
Today,
manufacturers such as Bostiks, Mapei, and Sika to name a
few, offer their own sealer variations to
be
used in conjunction with their own urethane wood
adhesives. Ordinarily a 24 hour waiting time is required
after the sealer application with any new glue down
installation. Some sealers also provide sound deadening
properties.
Installation procedures call for either troweling
(depends on manufacturer) to the subfloor similar to
applying the wood floor glue, or applying with a paint
roller. Products do not come cheaply. The actual
wholesale cost of the Bostiks MVP (shown right) runs
round $ 145.00 per five gallon containers. Add in the
dealer markup and one can easily be spending $ 225.00.
Each five gallon container covers approximately 200-250
square feet. |