I keep seeing guys skip the moisture barrier on concrete slabs and it drives me crazy

Finished a job in a 1970s split-level where the old glue-down vinyl had turned to dust from moisture. The homeowner said the last installer, about five years back, told them a vapor barrier was a waste of money on a slab that old. We pulled up the old stuff and the concrete was still damp to the touch. I had to put down a 6-mil poly sheet and let it dry for two days before I could even think about the new LVP. Why do so many people think they can skip this step?

2 comments

2 Comments

hart.charlie22d ago

Sometimes you can get away with it.

skyler_smith222d ago

Get away with it" makes it sound like a lucky break, but that's not really it. You're talking about @hart.charlie, right? It's less about luck and more about nobody noticing the problem until it's too late to fix. That's how stuff breaks for real later on. Feels like a win until it very much isn't.