A freshly poured 100mm concrete slab typically takes four to five months to be fully ready to accept flooring. However, challenging construction schedules rarely allow for that amount of time, putting pressure on both project timelines and budget.
In such a situation, would you extend your project schedule and/or spend on concrete admixtures or third-party moisture mitigation solutions?
Flooring issues can also occur in existing flooring. For instance, you could discover unexpected problems lurking under your carpet in the middle of a renovation project.
If you have rising moisture vapour trying to escape, you’ll need to address the underlying issue in the floor. Laying new flooring over the top without resolving a problem floor will only obstruct a natural process (evaporation), giving rise to another natural process (condensation). For example, water droplets can begin to form underneath carpet or flooring backing, creating a layer of water between the concrete and the floor covering.
Hardback carpet won’t allow water vapour to vent, which can cause significant flooring deterioration. In addition, trapped water will lead to increased alkalinity (elevated pH), which can cause adhesives to fail and create a potential breeding ground for mould and mildew.
To help combat this issue, Milliken-Ontera designed and built the fully warranted Site-Related Solutions.
What is Milliken-Ontera’s Site-Related Solutions (SRS)?
Milliken-Ontera’s fully warranted Site-Related Solutions (SRS) system successfully mitigates moisture problems in concrete slabs. Combining their WellBAC cushion-backed modular carpet and non-reactive standard adhesive, the scientifically designed SRS manages moisture simply and effectively.
The SRS system is backed by 25 years of proven success tackling moisture mitigation for any new build and costly subfloor preparation associated with carpet replacements.
Milliken-Ontera’s modular carpet is a complete moisture mitigation solution
Unlike hardback products, water vapour has a way to escape from beneath Milliken-Ontera’s cushion backing. It travels freely through the open-cell cushion, evaporating naturally through seams at the edges of each carpet tile.
Conditions to be met
Milliken-Ontera products have very high pH or RH limits, eliminating the need for moisture testing before installation. In combination with the non-reactive standard adhesive, Milliken-Ontera cushion-backed modular carpet allows moisture vapour to evaporate at a very high rate. The design of the carpet renders the formation of liquid almost impossible.
New constructions
While the average on-ground or above-ground construction can take four to five months for the concrete to cure and be ready to accept flooring, Milliken-Ontera’s cushion-backed modular carpet can be installed as quickly as 60 days after the new pour is complete.
Moisture mitigation is built directly into every Milliken-Ontera cushion-backed carpet tile and is an inherent property of the cushion backing itself.
Renovations
If you are renovating an existing floor, preparation can become a significant undertaking. Grinding or mechanically removing existing adhesive can affect indoor air quality, and is labour-intensive and time-consuming.
With Milliken-Ontera’s Site-Related Solutions, all you need to do is remove the old carpet and smooth out the high adhesive ridges. Once those steps are complete, install your new Milliken-Ontera cushion-backed carpet.
The Milliken-Ontera Warranty
Milliken-Ontera stands behind their cushion-backed modular carpet products and offers an exclusive lifetime warranty against adhesive breakdown due to moisture vapour emissions. Additionally, this guarantee provides customers with a single point of contact regarding any liability concerns, should they arise.
When moisture vapour becomes water, problems begin. However, with Milliken-Ontera’s cushion-backed carpet, moisture vapour evaporates before it can cause a problem.
