Moisture from slab warped wood floor - how to replace?

[Meadbh]

OP, do you have weeping tiles?

 

[pj.mask]

Lots of rain and moisture the last year. Could be a crack in the foundation. Update us with what you find. Our friends have a similar situation and we’re thinking of putting in tile.

 

[soupcxan]

OP - do you have a sump pump ?

No, afaik sump pumps are for basements which don't exist here.

OP, do you have weeping tiles?

No, from a quick google search this appears to be a feature of a basement which we don't have.

I'm not sure what can be done about it. Probably above the pay grade of a foundation guy though

If not a foundation guy, then who?

 

[MRG]

No, afaik sump pumps are for basements which don't exist here.



No, from a quick google search this appears to be a feature of a basement which we don't have.



If not a foundation guy, then who?

When we had problems we called a structural engineer. He quickly identified a drainage issue that was the root cause. He came up with a solution and gave us the name of a foundation guy to implement his solution.

Water is an interesting problem, I'd get an expert.

 

[Katsmeow]

If it were me, I would consult with a structural engineer as determining the cause would seem key to not having future problems.

If you decided to move away from engineered wood (I live in the Houston area and have had engineered wood with no problem), before putting in carpet I would consider luxury vinyl plank. This is not the old style vinyl. It is very sharp looking and seems to hold up well.

 

[Megg1141]

Having installed many wood floors and floating floors over concrete as an installer for over 35 yrs my guess is the float that was used is the problem. There are several kinds of floats that are used to level out concrete. Just about all use water in the mix. Depending on how long after the float they installed the plastic could be the answer. It takes time for the water to evaporate. If they covered it too soon the moisture would of been trapped under the plastic with no where to go. I would just put a moisture meter on the concrete and test the slab to see if it has any potential problem areas. Leaving the float exposed will dry it out. Check the slab with the meter just in case you have a leak since its always a possibility but I am quite sure it was the float holding in the moisture.

 

[Jerry1]

When we had problems we called a structural engineer.

If it were me, I would consult with a structural engineer

When I had a leak in my basement, I did exactly that - called an engineer. I think it was a couple hundred bucks and it was well worth it. He showed me how it was surface water getting into my basement. I'm sure if I'd have called a basement water proofer, they would have been happy to recommend digging out around my house and sealing it better. Probably about $5K or more. I probably would have done that, but was confused because other cracks in the walls did not leak. Again, the engineer showed me what was going on. I brought in more fill and pitched the grade away from the house better and that pretty much did it. We couldn't do a great job because the problem area was under the deck. Fast forward, we eventually removed the deck and put an addition on the back of the house. No more leaks. In fact, about a year after we built the addition, we had a record breaking storm in terms of water coming down in inches per hour. No leaks.

Point is, the engineer is agnostic as to the remedy. A foundation person may have a particular framework that will impact his recommendation. i.e., some financial advisors are going to recommend an annuity. . .

 

[soupcxan]

Had a foundation guy out last night. Checked the slab, only a very slight angle, checked outdoors, no cracks in the brick façade mortar or by the windows or at the roof. He commented that the flowerbed along one exterior wall was graded too high over the foundation, recommended raking it back a bit to expose more of the slab consistent with the other exterior walls so it doesn't hold water next to the slab. Said I could put a gutter on the roof in that area and route the water a little further away as well.

Nothing for him to do from a foundation repair perspective, but I could call a structural engineer (no surprise based on previous comments here). He guessed that the engineer would recommend a French drain, but he would try fixing the grading and adding the gutter before spending money on a drain.

 

[soupcxan]

Having installed many wood floors and floating floors over concrete as an installer for over 35 yrs my guess is the float that was used is the problem. There are several kinds of floats that are used to level out concrete. Just about all use water in the mix. Depending on how long after the float they installed the plastic could be the answer. It takes time for the water to evaporate. If they covered it too soon the moisture would of been trapped under the plastic with no where to go. I would just put a moisture meter on the concrete and test the slab to see if it has any potential problem areas. Leaving the float exposed will dry it out. Check the slab with the meter just in case you have a leak since its always a possibility but I am quite sure it was the float holding in the moisture.

That is definitely possible, I don't remember exactly how much time they let the float dry before covering but I don't think it was very long. And given that I'm not finding an obvious source of moisture in the slab, the float is plausible.

 

[Megg1141]

Lots of time we ran into problems especially with on grade slabs where there would be moisture coming from doorways on outside doors and Sliding glass door tracks. The thresholds sit on the slab so its easy for moisture to come in. Its not a problem if you have tile or carpet because the moisture can evaporate. Floating floors can't because of the plastic. If float was used near by it would attract that moisture even if it was several feet away and hold it like a sponge. Depending on how thick float was would dictate how long they needed to wait. On some jobs we had to let it dry 2-3 days. A moisture meter is your friend, it will point out your problem quickly.

 

[Scrapr]

Had a foundation guy out last night. Checked the slab, only a very slight angle, checked outdoors, no cracks in the brick façade mortar or by the windows or at the roof. He commented that the flowerbed along one exterior wall was graded too high over the foundation, recommended raking it back a bit to expose more of the slab consistent with the other exterior walls so it doesn't hold water next to the slab. Said I could put a gutter on the roof in that area and route the water a little further away as well.

Nothing for him to do from a foundation repair perspective, but I could call a structural engineer (no surprise based on previous comments here). He guessed that the engineer would recommend a French drain, but he would try fixing the grading and adding the gutter before spending money on a drain.

sounds like you got a good foundation guy. There is a wide range of knowledgable trades skewed to the low side. Always nice to hear of a good experience. Between your 2 suggestions I think you may have a winning lottery number tonight

good luck

 

[MRG]

Had a foundation guy out last night. Checked the slab, only a very slight angle, checked outdoors, no cracks in the brick façade mortar or by the windows or at the roof. He commented that the flowerbed along one exterior wall was graded too high over the foundation, recommended raking it back a bit to expose more of the slab consistent with the other exterior walls so it doesn't hold water next to the slab. Said I could put a gutter on the roof in that area and route the water a little further away as well.

Nothing for him to do from a foundation repair perspective, but I could call a structural engineer (no surprise based on previous comments here). He guessed that the engineer would recommend a French drain, but he would try fixing the grading and adding the gutter before spending money on a drain.

Very similar to an issue we had in our last, new home. After a few years the lawn guy had destroyed enough of the plastic splash blocks and a heavy rain caused some leakage. Small change in grade can be a big issue.

 

[Meadbh]

I expect the water table under Houston is pretty high right now. I am not an engineer, but I wonder if your house may be floating on mud. In your situation, I would hire a structural engineer to assess the problem.

If not a foundation guy, then who?

See above.

 

[aja8888]

I vote for the float not drying enough.

 

[Sunset]

OP - did you tape a large clear plastic down onto the floor to test to see if moisture is still coming up?

 

[Megg1141]

Its been over a week since the wood floor was pulled up. I would have the contractor come back out with a moisture meter and check the slab in question. If it checks out ok it most likely was the float not drying enough before installation. If you install carpet you shouldn't have any issues. That's the problem with concrete slabs, when they pour them they are never up to wood flooring specs. If you don't' want any problems the slab needs to be as flat as glass. Unfortunately that's like looking for a unicorn. In all my years doing floors, I never saw a slab that didn't need floating.