How to Profitably Install Moisture Vapor Barriers
What do you do when you're on a job site and execute the ASTM F-2170 or ASTM F1869 test for relative humidity and find that moisture vapor emission rates exceed acceptable levels? Do you envision your profit margins dwindling as the job becomes more complicated? Here's tips on how you can successfully, profitably install moisture vapor barriers.
Save on Surface Prep: Mechanical surface preparation can eat up time – increasing labor costs and reducing your profits. Choose a product like TEC® LiquiDam EZ™, or TEC® LiquiDam® to help you save on surface prep time and cost. Both products may not require shot blasting on clean sound concrete – which eliminates a cost of anywhere from .75 cents to $1.50 a square foot on labor for shot blasting for moisture vapor barrier applications.
Plus, TEC LiquiDam EZ doesn’t require priming when TEC self-leveling underlayments and surface preparation products are applied over it. This saves you time on surface prep and money on primer.
Easy Technique: Make sure you use a product that your team likes. TEC is happy to provide training to installers who use our products, to make sure they use it effectively and efficiently. LiquiDam EZ is a single component, liquid based moisture vapor barrier. This means that you don't need one installer constantly dedicated to mixing the product. It is simply hand stirred with a paint stick and application can begin. It is applied with a trowel and nap-foam roller, so your team can use the tools they work with best.
Efficiency of Product: Consider coverage range when choosing a moisture mitigation product to maximize profit. A strong coverage range will reduce your expenditures. The first and second coat of LiquiDam EZ each offers a coverage rate of 150 square feet per gallon. For estimating purposes, this would equate to a combined coverage of 75 square feet per gallon. The typical combined coverage rate is 60 to 75 square feet per gallon, depending on the surface porosity or texture.
Fast Cure Time: TEC LiquiDam EZ and LiquiDam both cure in just four to five hours – so in many cases you can wrap up moisture mitigation, surface preparation and flooring installation all in the same day. This reduces the time you have to spend on-site, so you can get onto your next job faster.
The Price of Peace of Mind: Your customers may be willing to pay more for the peace of mind offered by a warranty. H.B. Fuller Construction Products uses vigorous product testing and methodology refinements, and backs TEC moisture mitigation solutions with a 25-year system limited warranty.
Tom Sheridan, Vice President of PCI FlorTech, and Starnet contractor, says he’s experienced between 20 and 30 percent savings on moisture mitigation since switching to H.B. Fuller Construction Products moisture mitigation systems. He has successfully installed more than two million square feet of H.B. Fuller Construction Products moisture mitigation systems.
Questions? Contact our Technical Support Team for any help on your next TEC installation job. You can also call 1-800-832-9023, Mon-Fri 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. CST.
