ISSN: 1546-962X
CODEN: JAIOAD
Page Count: 8

Evaluating Methods for Water Vapor Transmission of Moisture Vapor Suppression Coatings on Concrete

King, MB
Expert Technician, CTL Group, Materials Testing and Analysis, and Senior Principal, CTL Group, Architectural/Structural Evaluation, Skokie, IL

Kanare, H
Expert Technician, CTL Group, Materials Testing and Analysis, and Senior Principal, CTL Group, Architectural/Structural Evaluation, Skokie, IL

(Received 13 January 2006; accepted 7 July 2006)

Abstract

Moisture vapor suppression coatings are used on millions of square feet of concrete floor slabs to remediate distress of moisture-sensitive floor coverings. We evaluated the suitability of ASTM E 96 and ASTM D 1653 for assessing performance of these coatings. ASTM E 96 can take several months, whereas free films can be evaluated using D 1653 in one to two weeks. Both methods were in close agreement for 100 % solids epoxy coatings but differ considerably for water-based coatings. Several types of coatings became severely distorted during D 1653 testing and could not provide useful results, including cementitious and polymer latexes and urethanes. Repeatability for coated and uncoated concrete specimens using ASTM E 96 was comparable to published precision data for other materials. The authors recommend that water vapor transmission testing of concrete and coated concrete specimens be included in the scope of ASTM E 96.

Keywords:
coatings, epoxies, permeance, concrete, water vapor, sealants, films

Paper ID: JAI100256
DOI: 10.1520/JAI100256
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