Under ideal conditions, a newly poured 100mm concrete slab takes four to five months to be fully ready to accept flooring. But unfortunately, construction schedules rarely allow for that amount of time, so how can you keep your project on schedule and on budget? Do you:
- Extend your timeline?
- Spend more on concrete admixtures or third-party moisture mitigation solutions?
Neither of these solutions is ideal. And what about existing flooring? What happens if you are mid-renovation, and you discover unexpected problems lurking under your carpet?
If you have rising moisture vapour trying to escape, you’ll need to address it. You can’t pretend it’s not there and lay new flooring over the top as obstructing a natural process (evaporation) gives rise to another natural process (condensation). For example, water droplets can begin to form underneath carpet or flooring backing, creating a layer of water between the concrete and the floor covering.
Hardback carpet won’t allow water vapour to vent, which can cause significant flooring deterioration. In addition, trapped water will lead to increased alkalinity (elevated pH), which can cause adhesives to fail and create a potential breeding ground for mould and mildew. To help combat this issue, Milliken-Ontera designed and built our fully warranted Site-Related Solutions.
Read on to learn more.
What is Milliken-Ontera’s fully warranted Site-Related Solutions (SRS)?
Milliken-Ontera’s fully warranted Site-Related Solutions (SRS) system successfully mitigates against moisture in concrete slabs. Combining our WellBAC™ cushion-backed modular carpet and Non-Reactive Standard Adhesive, scientifically designed, it manages moisture simply and effectively. In addition, our SRS system comes with 25-years of proven success tackling moisture mitigation for any new build and costly subfloor preparation associated with carpet replacements.
Milliken-Ontera modular carpet is a complete moisture mitigation solution
Unlike hardback products, water vapour has a way to escape from beneath Milliken-Ontera’s cushion backing. Instead, it travels freely through our open-cell cushion, evaporating naturally through seams at the edges of each carpet tile.
Conditions to be met
Our timing guidelines ensure our products have very high pH or RH limits, and we don’t require moisture testing before installation. In combination with our Non-Reactive Standard adhesive, Milliken-Ontera cushion-backed modular carpet allows moisture vapour to evaporate at a very high rate. The design of our carpet renders the formation of liquid almost impossible.
Site-Related Solutions: New Construction
Whether your construction is on-ground or above-ground, it can take four to five months for your concrete to cure and be ready to accept flooring. However, with Milliken-Ontera, you can install our cushion-backed modular carpet as quickly as 60 days after the new pour is complete.
Moisture mitigation is built directly into every Milliken-Ontera cushion-backed carpet tile and is an inherent property of the cushion backing itself.
Site-Related Solutions: Renovation
If you are renovating an existing floor, preparation can become a significant undertaking. Grinding or mechanically removing existing adhesive can affect indoor air quality, is labour intensive, and time-consuming. With Milliken-Ontera’s Site-Related Solutions, all you need to do is remove the old carpet then smooth out the high adhesive ridges. That’s it. Once those steps are complete, install your new Milliken-Ontera cushion-backed carpet. Simple.
The Milliken-Ontera Warranty
We stand behind our cushion-backed modular carpet products and offer an exclusive lifetime warranty against adhesive breakdown due to moisture vapour emissions. In addition, our guarantee provides customers with a single point of contact regarding any liability concerns, should they arise.
How can we offer this warranty?
The answer is simple. When moisture vapour becomes water, problems begin. However, with Milliken-Ontera’s cushion-backed carpet, moisture vapour evaporates before it can cause a problem.
Contact us today regarding your next project, and let’s get started.
