High Moisture Slab, Cold Storage, and a Push to Install
A new 12,000 sf medical clinic is scheduled for 6,000 sf of LVT and 6,000 sf of carpet tile. The general contractor has not started the HVAC; the building is enclosed but unheated, with interior temperatures ranging from 52 F at night to 78 F by afternoon. The LVT arrives Wednesday and is stacked in a non-climate-controlled storage trailer. The adhesive specified by the manufacturer requires an installation temperature of at least 65 F and a substrate relative humidity no greater than 80% per ASTM F2170 testing. Your own testing shows 86% RH and pH 10.2. The concrete slab has no vapor retarder, and the spec calls for a single-component adhesive with no moisture mitigation. The owner wants the LVT installed Friday so the carpet can follow Monday. The manufacturer's written acclimation requirement is 48 hours at 65-85 F before installation, and the cartons must be flat and off the concrete. The GC says, 'We'll turn on heat next week; just get it down.'
1. Should you install the LVT Friday? Explain using the test results and the manufacturer requirements.
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No. Three independent conditions fail. First, the substrate RH is 86%, above the adhesive manufacturer's 80% limit, and pH 10.2 is likely above the adhesive's tolerance. Second, the slab has no vapor retarder, so moisture will continue to drive into the adhesive. Third, the material has not been acclimated for 48 hours at 65-85 F; it has been in an unheated trailer and the building drops to 52 F at night. Cartons stacked in a trailer are not flat and off the concrete.
Installing anyway risks adhesive bond failure, curling, seam failure, and a voided manufacturer warranty. 'We'll turn on heat next week' is not a cure; HVAC must be operating before, during, and after installation. The clinic use makes moisture-related mold and adhesive failure more serious. The correct decision is to stop, document, and require correction before installation.
2. What documentation and communication should the PM issue, and what alternatives should be proposed?
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Send a written non-conformance report and RFI to the GC and owner with the ASTM F2170 results, pH readings, temperature log, photos, and the manufacturer's written requirements. State plainly that the area is not ready for flooring and that installation would violate the adhesive and material requirements. Move the LVT to conditioned, flat storage off the slab.
Propose options: temporary heat and dehumidification; a properly specified moisture mitigation system; re-testing after HVAC is running; and a revised schedule that accounts for acclimation and cure. Ask the manufacturer's technical representative for a written recommendation. Put the cost and time impact in a change order request. Do not accept an oral 'just get it down'; if the GC insists, require written direction and explain the warranty consequence.
3. If the owner issues a written direction to proceed despite the nonconformance, how should the PM manage the risk and cost?
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Do not sign a blanket waiver of rights. Respond in writing that the manufacturer may void the warranty and that the installation is outside the specified conditions. Price the risk-reduction measures: temporary heat, dehumidification, moisture mitigation, re-testing, extended acclimation, and schedule impact. Get the owner's written acknowledgment of the conditions, but recognize that you still owe a workmanlike installation and cannot simply install a floor you expect to fail.
If you proceed, use a manufacturer-approved moisture mitigation system and adhesive, document the conditions daily, and keep all test results. Separate the extra cost from the base contract. If the owner refuses the mitigation and still orders installation, consider declining the work or proceeding only under a clear written reservation of rights. Preserve a claim for delay and added cost caused by the unresolved slab and HVAC conditions.