Hardwood Floors April/May 2019

AT THE SITE

Raise Your Reputation and Lower the Complications Concrete RH Testing Best Practices, PART 1

Whether you’re a small, medium, or large scale

ARE YOU PREPARED? Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying, “ ose who fail to prepare, prepare to fail.” In the military, they say it with the ve Ps: “Proper preparation prevents poor production.” Any way you say it, the guidance clearly points to the fact that good preparation can greatly enhance your chances of success, not to mention minimize the stress and pressure during the job. is can be said of any ooring installation, inspection, or repair project. And because the results need to be absolutely correct, concrete moisture testing can get mighty stressful if you’re not prepared. Whether it’s a residential or commercial jobsite, your company has to be prepared for whatever testing is required. If concrete moisture testing is involved, one of the best ways to ensure that you are prepared is to get a concrete moisture testing certi cation like from the International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) icri.org. It’s not mandatory that you do this, but it helps ensure proper compliance with the ASTM standards.

Testing concrete slabs isn’t simply about drilling holes, placing plastic domes, or dipping pHpaper in a puddle of water. To thosewho have been burned by concrete slab failures on projects before, it is indeed awake-up call. It is about acquiring and maintaining the professionally recognized competency needed to ensure third-party results are correctly obtained and certi ed. A testing technician should be fully insured with the liability coverage needed for the size and scope of the project exposure involved. While this sounds like a lot, reliable results are what make a certi ed concrete slab testing technician the best choice for third-party moisture testing of concrete slabs at residential and commercial job sites. For in-situ concrete slab relative humidity (RH) testing, a testing technician needs to have properly calibrated NIST-traceable sensors. Whatever testing systemyour technician uses, it’s a good idea for the technician to carry a copy of themost current and applicable ASTMstandard for that test method. You never knowwhen they might be asked to verify compliance by someone else in authority at the project jobsite.

flooring professional, working on a residential flooring project or commercial flooring project, the fundamentals for success stay the same: be prepared, work with the right tools, work safe, and most importantly, communicate. Let’s add another vital component to the list: education. at’s where this article (and Part 2) can help you with some concrete moisture-testing tips and best practices that will help raise your reputation and lower your complications.

All photos courtesy of Jason Spangler

Whatever testing system your technician uses, it’s a good idea for the technician to carry a copy of the most current and applicable ASTM standard for that test method in case they are audited on the jobsite.

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