Showerthought: Heard a guy at the supply house in Tacoma say he never uses a moisture meter on slabs

He was picking up adhesive and told his buddy that after 20 years, he can just feel a damp slab with his hand. That's a fast track to a callback and a lawsuit. I had a job in Everett last year where the meter read 85% on a 'dry' basement pour, and the homeowner's insurance would have nailed us if we'd laid that LVP. Who still thinks skipping basic steps is a flex?

4 comments

4 Comments

felix4143mo ago

Honestly, the bigger risk is that his hand might feel a dry surface, but there's vapor drive coming up from below. A meter checks the whole picture, not just the top skin. That hidden moisture is what actually breaks down the adhesive over time.

mark_ward3mo ago

That "guessing with someone else's house" line is spot on, but what's his plan when the guess is wrong?

jesse_price273mo ago

So what happens when his hand feels fine but there's moisture wicking up from a crack he can't see? That's the whole point of the meter... it finds what you can't feel. That 85% reading you got proves it. His way is just guessing, and guessing with someone else's house.

samflores1mo ago

But like, how often does that actually cause a real problem? Feels like we're talking about a tiny chance of something going wrong.