Pro tip: I keep seeing guys skip the moisture test on concrete slabs and it's a huge mistake

I did a job last week where the homeowner said the old floor failed. The installer before me didn't check the slab at all. I pulled out my meter and it read 5.2 pounds, way over the 3-pound limit for that glue-down vinyl. That's why it bubbled in under six months. It takes five minutes with a calcium chloride test kit. You can't just go by how dry the slab looks or feels. How do you guys handle a client who says the test isn't needed to save time?

3 comments

3 Comments

riverh492mo ago

But what if the test is the thing actually saving time? I've seen more jobs get rushed and fail than I've seen tests slow things down. That five minutes with the kit is nothing compared to the weeks of arguing and callbacks when the floor fails. Why would you let a client talk you into a shortcut that could cost you way more later?

phoenix_bailey2mo ago

That's so frustrating, man.

leo_black762mo ago

My own stupidity is a great teaching tool. I skipped the test once early on to "save time" and had to eat the cost of a full glue-down redo. That slab felt bone dry but was secretly a swamp. Now I just show them the invoice from that job and ask if they want to roll those dice.