Tried to save time by skipping the moisture meter on a slab in Phoenix. Big mistake.

Walked onto a job last month in Mesa, concrete looked bone dry. Owner said it'd been sitting for 6 months. I said screw it and started gluing down LVP. Next day, three planks were popping up in the corner. Had to rip out a whole 200sqft section and let the slab dry for 3 extra days. Cost me a full weekend and a pissed off client. Anyone else get burned by trusting a slab's looks over a meter reading?

2 comments

2 Comments

wadea531mo ago

Look man, I get you had a bad time but are we really gonna pretend a moisture meter solves everything? I've seen guys chase numbers on concrete pads for years and still end up with failures. Maybe the slab was just curing weird or you got a bad batch of glue. Humidity in Phoenix is like 10 percent, not exactly prime conditions for moisture problems. Plus those meters can be finicky, give you different readings on the same spot depending on how hard you press. Seems like blaming the tool instead of the installation method or prep work. Might be overthinking this one.

michaela161mo ago

Flat out disagree with you on this one. Meters aren't perfect but they're way better than just guessing or going off feel. Chasing numbers isn't the problem, ignoring them is. I've seen way too many jobs fail because someone assumed the slab was dry based on looks. The humidity argument doesn't hold up either because moisture can still wick up from the ground even in a dry climate. Prep work and installation method matter too but you gotta start with a solid reading. Calling it overthinking is just an excuse to skip a step that saves headaches later.