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I thought the whole 'moisture meter for concrete' thing was just a sales pitch
I mean, for years I just went by the old timer's rule of waiting a month after a pour. Then I got a job in a basement in Portland last fall, and the slab felt dry to the touch after 4 weeks. My moisture meter read 5.2%, which was way over the limit for the vinyl plank I was using. I waited another 3 weeks and it finally dropped. That one tool saved me a huge callback and a floor full of bubbles. Anyone else have a specific meter they trust for this kind of spot check?
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jessej236mo ago
You're right about that old rule letting you down. I learned the same lesson on a slab that felt bone dry. My cheap pin meter gave me a low number, but I rented a professional grade one just to be sure. The real reading was almost double, totally unsafe for glue down. That extra step saved the job. Now I won't even think about flooring without checking it properly first.
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kevin9746mo ago
Yeah that's a perfect example of how the old rules of thumb can really let you down. It feels like we're seeing this everywhere now, where the cheap or simple way turns out to be wrong more often than not. You end up paying for it later with way more time and money, just like your floor almost did. That meter paid for itself right there by avoiding a total redo.
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diana_carr665mo ago
So which professional grade meter did you end up renting? I've been looking at a few but hearing about a model that actually caught a problem like that would be a huge help. The specs all look the same online.
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